Frontlines
by rhosinthorn
Summary: It's been two and a half years since Lucy almost died in the middle of the guildhall. Life is finally back to normal for the blonde, but trouble looms on the horizon. Friends and foes lurk around every corner, and much that was forgotten calls to be remembered. As Fiore prepares for war, Fairy Tail is on the frontlines, fighting for their survival. Sequel to "Still Standing".
1. Prologue

Prologue:

Popular theories exist about how interconnected everything is. Everything happens for a reason, they say. Or consider the concept of predestination, where everything that ever happens has been laid out before us. Even better, think about the claim that a butterfly flapping its wings on one continent will cause a tidal wave on another.

While it's hard to actually verify that type of cause and effect, some things seem to come down to certain key points. If one person hadn't made that one decision, everything would have turned out differently. If there hadn't been that earthquake, there wouldn't have been famine for the next three years. If mage guilds hadn't participated in the Second Trade War, the loss of life would have been much less severe.

When considering the mage guild, Fairy Tail, these cause and effect relationships get even more bizarre. If Fairy Tail and Tartarus hadn't destroyed each other, would the continent have been better prepared when Alberez invaded? If Fairy Tail and Grimoire Heart hadn't clashed on Tenrou Island, would Acnologia have been summoned to obliterate the lot, destroying the little that remained of Grimoire Heart and causing the core members of Fairy Tail to disappear for seven years? If Fairy Tail hadn't played a crucial role in the alliance that defeated the Oracion Seis, would Grimoire Heart have chosen to take them on? The list goes on and on.

Yet, if all of the connected strings are followed, and a thorough investigation completed, it's easy to see how many of these events trace back to one single individual. It is the opinion of this author that the major events of x794 can be traced back to both individuals, through many of the major events of x791 and x784, including, but not limited to the defeat of Tartarus and disbandment of Fairy Tail, the vanishing and reappearance of the Tenrou Team from Fairy Tail, and the disbandment of the Magic Council after the Tower of Heaven incident.

In x686, Fairy Tail's first master, Mavis Vermillion, the Fairy Tactician, and her companions Precht Gaebolg, Yury Dreyar, and Warrad Sequen came across a Black Wizard in the woods near Magnolia. This wizard taught them magic, including the spell which would later become known worldwide as Fairy Law. However, when Mavis Vermillion used Fairy Law in its incomplete form, she was cursed with the Ankhseram curse. At the date of publication, only one other individual is known to have borne the same curse: the Black Wizard Zeref Dragoneel, teacher of the founders of Fairy Tail.

Through a long series of events, to which you can refer to several texts (recommended reading material on these events can be found at the end of this volume), Fiore came to x791 and the disbandment of Fairy Tail. At this time, Lucy Dreyar (nee Heartfelia) elected to remain in Magnolia, and through a number of circumstances came to be a contracted mage with the town of Magnolia. One of three living Celestial Mages at the time, Lucy was considered the most powerful, with ten zodiac keys in her possession, as well as other silver keys. While not useful to wizard who weren't Celestial Mages, Zodiac Keys are extremely valuable collector's pieces, due to their rarity. At some point in her contract, the mayor of Magnolia began making attempts to wrest the keys from Lucy's control. She resisted, and his actions became increasingly illegal, leading him to order an assassination attempt on the woman before he was arrested by Mest Gryder, who was at the time a member of the Magic Council and answered to the name Doranbolt. At the time of arrest, it was unknown how deep the conspiracy ran, and that brings us back to the interconnected nature of these events.

As time progressed, it became clear to the individuals investigating the matter that the mayor of Magnolia was only the tip of the iceberg. By the end of this volume, it will be clear that the conspiracy reached all the way to Zeref Dragoneel.

And thus everything came to a boiling point in x794. The board was set and the pieces were in order. All that was needed was a spark.

This volume begins at the tipping point in x794, when most historians believe the final battle between dragons, demons, and humans began. While it contains an accurate chronicle of events, it is not intended to be a historical accounting and analysis. Instead, the volume contains firsthand narratives of the members of Fairy Tail and Sabertooth, who are hailed as the guilds at the forefront of this conflict. It is this author's hope that by the conclusion, the reader will understand the day to day struggles faced by those who were present. The style is that of a novel, but I assure you, everything contained within these pages is true.

Anonymous

(Widely believed by most scholars to be

either Lucy Dreyar (nee Heartfilia)

or Levy Redfox (nee McGarden))

 *****Okay, we'll try this again. First things first, good to see everyone!**

 **Second: this takes place 3 years after the manga chapter 416 and 1 year after the end of _Still Standing_. The chapters are much longer than I usually write, and I'm currently 10 chapters in and 40k words written. Because of that, I'm posting every two weeks on Fridays.**

 **Third: I'm having computer issues. My computer leaves today on vacation and hopefully comes back repaired, but for the next week or so I'm reverting to an old, Windows XP laptop that wasn't great when it was young. I think I have a workaround for that, but we'll see how it goes.**

 **Fourth: When I originally tried to post this chapter, the site messed it up. So if you got notified, I apologize.**


	2. Chapter 1

**Chapter One:**

It was just another day at the guild. The lunch rush had just concluded, and Lucy was elbow deep in soapy water, scrubbing energetically at a crusted bit of someone's lunch that didn't want to come off. Ever since Mira had discovered that she found washing dishes to be therapeutic, the barmaid had assigned Lucy to cleanup every day she was working.

Humming away to the song playing in her head, the blonde was oblivious to anything but the plate in her hand. She didn't hear someone else enter the kitchen until she was pulled away from the sink, dish slipping from her hand to bounce harmlessly on the floor.

As she opened her mouth to protest, Lucy took in the look of alarm on the normally placid Kinana's face. Something wasn't right, and she let herself be dragged along by the purple haired woman, regardless of the stack of dishes still waiting to be cleaned.

In the guild hall, people were still enjoying their after lunch conversations, but for someone like Lucy who spent every day in the guild, it was easy to see the signs of something amiss. Mira's aura was demonic as she bent over a map on the bar with Freed, Jellal, and Laxus, talking quietly. Gajeel had moved from his usual corner to sit by the doors, glaring at everyone who came in. And Erik was coming down the stairs, face grimmer than usual.

Laxus looked up as the two women emerged from the kitchen. "Good, we've got her. Kinana, I assume Erik's let you know what the procedure is?"

The purple haired woman nodded and pulled Lucy out from behind the bar and headed towards the stairs. Lucy struggled, trying to wrench herself free so she could go ask Laxus what was going on, but Kinana's grip was stronger than Gajeel's iron. As they passed Erik, Kinana stopped, and the poison dragon slayer brushed a kiss across her forehead, an unusually intimate gesture from the reserved man. "Be safe, Night Sky," he whispered as he passed Lucy, and she was stunned. Erik's nickname for her was only used when they were being open with each other, a rare occasion. Kinana continued up the stairs, leading Lucy first to the infirmary, where she collected Charle and Wendy, who was carrying a small rucksack and a basket, and then to Laxus's office.

"What's going on?" Lucy asked Kinana as the purple haired woman shut the door and locked it behind them. "Would you explain why you brought us here?"

"Not now," the woman said distractedly, crossing to the armchairs in front of Laxus's desk. "Help me move these so we can move the rug."

Wendy and Lucy lifted one chair and moved it out of the way before Lucy helped Kinana shift the last one. Bending down, the other woman began rolling the rug up, revealing a complicated runic pattern etched into the floorboards. By the time the rug was completely rolled up and shoved up against the desk, Lucy had realized that it was an incredibly complex magic circle the likes of which she had never seen before.

 _Laxus told me that it made his office seem less bare and more comfortable_ , she thought blankly as she leaned up against the wall, trying to decipher the runes. _Was he lying to me?_

A knock at the door startled her out of her thoughts. Kinana was there already, hand on the doorknob, calling: "Who is it?"

"It's Bisca and Asuka, with Romeo."

When the door opened, the older woman entered, Asuka in her arms. Romeo was standing next to her, obviously upset about something. Stalking into the room, he planted himself next to Wendy, scowling darkly. Bisca was worried, Lucy could see it on her face, but the older woman busied herself with distracting Asuka. The blonde wanted to start asking questions, demanding answers, but with Asuka there, she couldn't risk alarming the child. So she waited, hoping someone would come soon to explain what was going on.

Another knock on the door, and Kinana admitted Team Shadowgear and Alzack, all four of whom looked incredibly grim. Turning to Kinana, Levy asked: "Is this everyone?"

Kinana looked around the room, and her eyes widened at something Lucy couldn't understand. "We're missing one," she murmured, as her eyes unfocused slightly. "Erik's bringing her."

Taking a moment to look around the room herself, Lucy realized that the ones who had arrived first were all people who would be deemed as noncombatants. Kinana was still learning magic, Asuka was a child. Wendy was a healer and still a child, and Romeo was a child on the cusp of manhood. Bisca was Asuka's mother…and she had just announced that she was pregnant with her second child. Lucy knew that she herself was in essence a noncombatant, seeing as how she had refused to fight outside of the occasional training spar, but it wasn't as if she had abandoned her magic.

The door opened once more, and someone shoved Sorano in. Levy looked at Kinana, who nodded.

"Okay everyone, get into the center of the magic circle. Romeo, stay with Wendy. Alzack, you stick close to your family. Kinana, stay with Wendy and Romeo. Jet, Droy, you two with Lucy and Sorano."

After a flurry of movement, Levy knelt at a point in the magic circle, placing her hands on a cluster of runes. For a moment, Lucy saw bright purple light, but she soon had to shut her eyes against the brilliance of it. A tugging sensation began in her stomach, and she knew instinctively that when she opened her eyes again, she wouldn't be in Laxus's office. The sensations she was experiencing were too similar to those she had felt in Laxus's teleportation.

As they landed, wherever they were going, Lucy felt fear for the first time in a year. Ever since Laxus had become master, he had put substantial effort into making the guild the safest place for anyone in Fairy Tail to be when an attack was coming. They had learned from Tartarus and from the Phantom Lord attack, striving to keep their building from ever becoming a heap of rubble ever again. For Laxus to send the noncombatants away…he was worried that their protections wouldn't hold. And the thought of Laxus being worried terrified Lucy.

Opening her eyes, Lucy blinked as she recognized the familiar treehouse in the middle of the forest. Levy seemed a bit taken aback as well, but she recovered, brushing off her knees as she stood. "Everyone, get inside. I'll be in as soon as I've activated the barriers."

Lucy tried to dawdle, in an attempt to ask Levy her questions away from the others, but Jet took her by the elbow and started to firmly escort her inside. Bisca and Alzack, who were at the head of the group, had just reached the door when it flew open, revealing the broom-wielding pink haired healer who was the crabbiest person Lucy knew.

"What are you idiots doing at my house!" she screeched, waving her broom.

"Porlyusica-sama," Levy called from where she stood next to a large rock near the tree's roots. "Master Laxus sent us."

The woman subsided, her face growing stern. "Fine, you can come in," she grumbled, disappearing back inside her house. "But don't mess anything up!"

Letting herself be pulled into the house by Jet, Lucy wondered what was going on. Shadowgear obviously knew what was going on, as well as Kinana. Even Porlyusica knew that something was happening, if her reaction was anything to go by. Craning her head over her shoulder, Lucy saw Levy activate another set of runes, causing a barrier to form around the tree.

Inside Porlyusica's house, Wendy and the old woman were bending over the basket Wendy had brought, speaking softly. Bisca had settled on the bed with Asuka, and Kinana was trying to talk Sorano down without the child noticing. Alzack was arguing with Romeo, from the tone of their conversation, and Jet and Droy had taken up positions on either side of the door.

As Levy came in, Sorano's frustration finally reached a boiling point. "Kina, you know! I know that you and Erik can communicate through the soul link and I'm not going to let you lie to me!"

"Sorano," Levy snapped. "Restrain yourself for a few moments. Alzack, why don't you and Asuka go pick some flowers for Porlyusica-sama?"

The dark haired man nodded and took his daughter from Bisca. Once the door had closed behind him, Levy turned back to Sorano. "Laxus gave orders that noncombatants be removed from the guild until we're sure that the danger has passed."

"Like hell I'm a noncombatant," Sorano snarled. "I am a former member of a Balam Alliance guild."

"What danger?" Lucy interrupted, needing to know what was going on. _Laxus won't leave the guild…no matter what he would stay with it…and the Raijinshu wouldn't leave him. Natsu would never run away from a fight, and Crime Sorciere would stay unless they were physically ordered away…_

"Where's Sting?" a weak voice cried from the basket Wendy was holding, and all heads turned towards Porlyusica and Wendy. "He said that he'd be here!"

"Shhh," Wendy cooed. "It's okay Lector, you're safe. Remember, you flew to Fairy Tail. You told us that Sting would call later and let us know that everyone was safe."

"Lector?" Lucy asked, wondering why Sting's exceed would have come all the way to Magnolia without him. "Why did you come?"

Levy shook her head at Wendy, saying: "Sabertooth was attacked this morning, and Laxus put us into lockdown, in case whoever hit them was going to come here next. You all were gathered here because he didn't want you at the guild if the building was attacked."

"That doesn't explain why I'm _here_ ," Sorano snapped.

"Are you pregnant?" Bisca asked, retreating as the feathered woman turned on her. "It's just a reason why you would be here, no need to be offended!"

"You're one of the people Laxus wanted here," Levy said flatly. "Take it up with him."

"I will," Sorano snapped.

Lucy studied the texture of the walls, mulling over the little information that they had been given. "Not to cause friction, but I know pretty much everything that happens with the guild because I live with Laxus. Things have to be pretty top secret for me to not know. So how come I didn't know about the teleportation runes?"

"They're not supposed to be widely known," Levy murmured, looking away from Lucy. "Only a select few know about them."

Dropping down onto a stool, Lucy settled in to wait. Her best friend wasn't going to tell her anything more, and who knew how long they would be there? She might as well be comfortable while she waited. _Mavis keep him safe_.

At some point Alzack brought Asuka back inside, and he took up a position at the windows. Levy shifted around the room every so often, always keeping a wary eye on Sorano and Porlyusica, whose sullen silence was mildly alarming.

Sometime in the late afternoon, a faint pop was heard from the outside. Levy and her teammates exchanged looks before carefully exiting the house. Alzack gripped his revolver and moved closer to the window before relaxing. "It's just the shadow dragon slayer from Sabertooth," he reported. "Looks like he's unconscious."

"Is my sister with him?" Sorano asked anxiously.

"He's alone," Alzack replied. "But the teleportation runes are randomized. There are six different locations a person can be sent to. It's completely chance that he ended up here. She could be somewhere else."

Wendy and Porlyusica bustled about, preparing medical supplies and Bisca picked up Asuka and moved off the bed into the chair Kinana vacated for her. Jet and Droy came in, carrying Rogue between them, with Levy following behind.

"There don't appear to be any wounds on him," Levy reported to Wendy as the men laid the dragon slayer on the bed. "He just seems to be knocked out."

"I'll check, just to make sure," the blunette replied, her hands lighting up with her magic. "No injuries, no head trauma…he's just out. Want me to wake him up?"

"Do so," Levy ordered, standing next to the girl. "I need to know what happened."

Passing a glowing hand over Rogue's forehead, Wendy nodded and stepped back. In a few moments, the red eyes that were so similar to Gajeel's flew open, and he almost flew off the bed. Jet and Droy pushed him back down into a sitting position, holding him in place.

"Let me go back!" he screamed, thrashing against them. "We can't leave without them!"

"Rogue, you're with Fairy Tail right now," Levy said urgently, snapping her fingers in front of his face. "I need you to tell me what happened."

"I don't know!" he shouted, almost breaking free. "Where's Lector and Frosch? Where's Yukino?"

Lucy saw Sorano freeze at the mention of her sister's name, but Levy pressed on. "Ryos Cheney, I need answers. What happened at your guild hall?"

"I don't know," he whispered hoarsely. "I was out on a mission…met Sting at the train station, told me we were leaving."

"Do you know where Yukino is?" Sorano interrupted, eyes blazing.

"Don't know," he shouted, gripping his head, eyes wide with fear. "Couldn't find her or Frosch. Wanted to go back, look for them, Sting told me no…"

His voice dropped to a horrified whisper as shadows began to coalesce. "…told me to leave the dead."

Clapping a hand to her mouth, Lucy swallowed hard. "Wendy, knock him out," she whispered, remembering the Grand Magic Games, remembering watching the body falling to the ground… "Please Wendy."

Eyes brimming with tears, the girl did as she asked, and the man went limp in Jet and Droy's arms. Levy turned on Lucy and Wendy, eyes flashing. "What did you do that for?" she demanded. "I needed more information."

"He wasn't there," Lucy argued. "Didn't you hear him? He didn't know what's going on, and thinks Frosch and Yukino are dead because he couldn't find them. And if they're dead, we need to now worry about the probability of Future Rogue appearing, because losing Frosch is what set him off last time! Keeping him out is the only way to protect ourselves until we know for sure what happened."

"Is my sister dead?" Sorano asked softly, her face stony.

"I don't know," Lucy whispered. "If he couldn't find them…he may not have looked very hard when he met up with the others, and they could be fine, but if they weren't there, and Sting's comment really was _leave the dead_ …"

"She can't be dead." Sorano said flatly. "I thought she was dead once, and she wasn't. She can't be dead now."

"We don't know," Kinana echoed, wrapping her arms around the other woman's shoulders. "Laxus will explain once he lifts the safehouse."

Levy looked skeptical, but underneath the skepticism was worry, deep rooted. Lucy wondered what the bluenette was thinking about, why even the thought of Yukino's death provoked that much fear from her friend.

 *****And now we're getting somewhere. Sorry to start off on a sad note, but unfortunately it needed to happen. Lots of changes will be happening, at least for the next two chapters or so, while everyone comes to terms with this turn of events. See you all in two weeks.*****


	3. Chapter 2

**Chapter Two:**

They sat in silence for the rest of the afternoon, the only way to mark time being the lengthening shadows, since Porlyusica didn't own a clock. Lucy could have checked the time with Horologium, but she didn't want to know how slowly the hours were passing.

Eventually, a shout was heard from outside. Everyone started, even Porlyusica, and Alzack peered out the window, passing a sleeping Asuka to Bisca. "It's just Erza," he said quietly. "They must have sent her to bring us home."

Levy stood, nodding to Jet and Droy. "Everyone, stay inside. I'm going to go get the news from Erza."

The time between when the door closed and when the door opened again felt longer than the entire afternoon. Lucy wasn't sure if anyone blinked, let alone breathed. When Levy came back in, her face was grim, but she said: "Erza's come to bring us home. Jet, you stay with Lucy and Sorano. Romeo, stay with Bisca and Asuka. Alzack and Droy, you two are carrying Rogue. Porlyusica-sama, Laxus would like you to come to the guild with us."

Reaching for her broom, the healer looked as if she was about to protest, but Levy continued. "He says that you would only be disturbed when absolutely necessary, but he wants your experience on hand in case something happens."

"I choose who I treat," the old woman said brusquely. "Except the blondes. I'll treat them myself."

"Laxus and Lucy?" Levy asked, getting a nod in reply. "That's fine. Do you need anything from your house?"

"The girl can help me," Porlyusica snapped. "I don't trust the rest of you with my potions." Wendy jumped to attention, looking surprised at this admission from the difficult woman. Grabbing the bag that Porlyusica handed her, she watched the healer rummage through her shelves, selecting various bottles and jars.

When the two of them were ready, Wendy passed Lucy the basket with Lector in it. The Exceed was sleeping peacefully, with Charle sitting alongside him, keeping an eye on him. "Do try not to jostle us," she hissed, gently straightening the blanket someone had draped over him. "He flew all the way here from Sabertooth without stopping just to bring us news. The poor cat needs his rest."

"Of course Charle," Lucy said, trying to fall back into the level gait her tutors had instilled in her during her childhood. "I'll do my best."

"As you should."

It was a long walk back to Magnolia on a good day, and on this particular day, it felt like forever. All Lucy wanted to do was rush back to the guild, but at the same time, she was terrified. What if the guild was in pieces? What if people were hurt? Or worse, dead? Erza's decision to take them on the most circuitous route possible, in case someone was following them, was frustrating. When the guild hall finally came into sight, it was almost dark. But in the gathering dusk, she could tell that there was no damage done to the guild hall.

Freed met them at the back gate. "You're the last group back; we were beginning to worry about you. Did Rogue end up at Porlyusica's? He hasn't come back with any of the other groups."

"He's with us," the redhead said, tipping her head back to indicate the unconscious dragon slayer. "Still out of it though."

"Wendy didn't revive him?" Freed asked as they filed through. "Sting said they knocked him out at the station after he went crazy at the train station.

"Freed," Lucy said quietly, pushing past Erza to walk next to the green haired man who had become a close friend over the past three years. "We revived him briefly, but he was…very emotional. He also said some things that I'm not sure whether to believe or not…"

The rune mage's face stilled. "Laxus wanted to see you and Sorano as soon as you arrived. He's in his office."

 _If he's up in his office and not here to greet us, something is seriously going wrong,_ Lucy thought, picking up the pace and hurrying into the building. Her eyes scanned the tables on the main floor, picking out the familiar faces of her friends and guild mates among less familiar ones that she vaguely recognized from her dealings with Sabertooth in the past.

By the time she reached the top of the stairs, she was almost running. There were footsteps behind her, but she wasn't interested in finding out who was chasing her. If she was in danger, her guild mates would watch her back.

Bursting into Laxus's office, she took in the familiar sights. Someone had replaced the rug and chairs that had been displaced in her departure from the guild. Her boyfriend and guild master was standing by the windows, looking out. Sting was sprawled in one of the chairs in front of the desk, head in his hands.

As soon as she saw the normally vivacious guild master subdued like that, Lucy knew the answer to the question that had been burning ever since Rogue had been awakened. Stopping in the middle of the room, she couldn't help but ask: "Who didn't make it?"

"There were five members of Sabertooth…" Laxus began, but was interrupted by Sorano as the white haired woman stalked into the room in a rush of feathers.

"Where is my sister?" she said hoarsely. "I didn't see her downstairs…"

"She's gone," Sting said, his voice almost gone. "We found her…it looks as if she was killed when the building collapsed, but there's a chance that it might have happened before…she was trying to protect Frosch, from what we could tell."

Lucy felt the tears she had been holding back begin to pour down her cheeks. Sorano flew at Sting, who made no effort to stop her as she pulled on his vest. "I let him be because I thought he could protect her!" she shrieked. "Where was he when she was killed?"

"Rogue and Minerva were out on a mission," Laxus said softly when Sting didn't respond. "They were due back in the morning, so Yukino and Frosch, who had decided to stay behind, went to the guild early. Rogue's train was delayed due to a rockslide, so he was much later than expected. By the time they got back, Sting had assembled the guild at the station to make the trip here. There was nothing he could do."

Laxus turned away from the window for the first time since they had entered, and Lucy saw deep regret on his face. "I had hoped that I would never have to tell you about this, but I'm afraid I no longer have that luxury. Lucy, do you remember the investigation Mest was running into the mayor?"

Lucy felt her scars ache as he spoke. "I thought it was resolved," she mumbled through numb lips. "The mayor went to jail."

"Mest continued the investigation in order to see if there were any more accomplices out there that would harm you. It's been slow going, but as far as we know right now, he was just part of it. As best as we've figured out, there's some sort of bounty on Celestial Wizards, or it might just be zodiac keys. That's why you and Sorano were sent to the safehouses."

She was in danger again. That was the only thought running through Lucy's head. For a moment, Laxus's office faded, and she was in the storeroom that had been her home for a year, talking with Loke and Capricorn.

 _It's getting worse,_ her past self whispered, wrapping her bleeding arm in bandages. _Isn't it_?

 _The missions are getting more dangerous_ , Loke agreed.

 _If I didn't know better, I'd say that he was trying to get rid of you,_ Capricorn said slowly, helping her tie the bandage.

"Lucy? Lucy?" Laxus's voice brought her back to his office, and she took in the sight of Sorano, still pulling Sting upright, her fingers buried in his vest, clenched so tightly that her knuckles were white. Her boyfriend had crossed around his desk to stand in front of her, concern in his eyes. "Are you okay?"

"Is this because the mayor was actively trying to either kidnap or kill me before you bought out my contract?" Lucy whispered, dread filling her. _This_ was the one thing she had never told Laxus, the one piece of evidence that Mest would never find.

He looked at her in shock. "How did you know?" Laxus asked. "Mest can't prove it because there's no evidence but the confessions of the mayor and the dark guilds he was conspiring with, and that's not enough. The written evidence was all destroyed."

Grinning weakly, Lucy walked slowly over to the other chair in the room. "I collected all of the incriminating evidence and turned it over to the mayor. That was my job." And she had been good at it. Her official job had been to eliminate the dark guild and hand any paperwork they had to the mayor. She made it her unofficial job to have Virgo make copies and hide them in the Spirit World, just in case she needed them later. When Mest was investigating her contract, she had contemplated bringing them out, but the mayor was already given a life sentence with no parole. The evidence she had would do no good.

"You had enough paperwork to put the mayor away for a life sentence and you withheld it? Lucy, that could have made a difference. He could have been locked up before he got a chance to try and kill you!" Laxus was furious, but Lucy didn't care.

"My evidence was _nothing_ without a confession. In a court of law, every shred I had would be inadmissible because I'd been holding it for so long, even if it was in the Spirit World. His lawyer just had to claim that my spirits fabricated it for me, and that would be the end of everything. In the meantime, he could have put me in a situation where I lost my keys because I was too busy trying to lock him up!"

"Your spirits would be able to testify for you…" Laxus began, but she cut him off.

"Virgo was the one in charge of handling the documents. And all it takes is any lawyer worth his salt to ask her if she created the documents and then I'm done. Because she did. She created the _copies_ , and that's where I fall short. None of what I have are unaltered originals. The mayor probably burned them as soon as I left his office."

Anger burning in his eyes, Laxus towered over Lucy. "You might have mentioned this a year ago? Perhaps even before then? We could have started taking precautions before then…"

" _Stop_." Sorano said quietly, letting Sting drop back into his chair. "While amusing as your fight is, I don't give a damn. Why the hell was my sister killed?"

With a noticeable effort, Laxus composed himself and turned to Sorano. "From the mayor's confessions and the rumors going around the dark guilds, there's a demand for Celestial Wizards, Zodiac keys, or both. Mest let me know when he got the information about the mayor, and I've had Jellal, Meredy, and Erik keeping an ear out for rumblings along their contacts. But we've had nothing serious, so there wasn't any action we could take. All we could do was sit tight and wait for them to make the first move. We kept Sting up to date with the best information that we had, but nobody was talking about an attack."

"So you just sat around? I've been going out on jobs with my team, and you just _let_ me?" Sorano screamed. "It could have been any one of the three of us! You should have told her, so she could be ready for anything!"

"You had the remaining members of the Balam Alliance around you," Laxus said gently. "And none of you are anything but wary; you've had too many years of life as a criminal to fully relax outside your home. Jellal, Meredy, and Erik all knew what was going on and they had a plan for getting you to safety if it was needed. Lucy never leaves Magnolia without her entire team or the Raijinshu, and usually doesn't even leave the guild alone, so that makes her a difficult target. Yukino was almost always in the company of one of the Twin Dragons or Minerva, making it hard for _her_ to be attacked."

"But she was," Sorano said coldly. "And now she's dead."

"From what Sting tells me, it could have been an accident," Laxus said gently. "When the guild hall was attacked, it suffered severe structural damage. They found Yukino in a pile of debris. It was impossible to tell whether or not she was alive when the building collapsed."

"I think she was already gone," Sting whispered hoarsely. "Her keys…they were clasped in her hands, like she was about to open a gate. And Frosch was behind her, like she was protecting…"

Standing up shakily, he rummaged in his pockets and retrieved a familiar key ring. "Here they are. I couldn't leave them there…"

Lucy took the key ring, noticing the smudges of dried blood on the keys. Closing her eyes, she found the key she was looking for and took a deep breath. "Open, gate of the Heavenly Scales. Libra!"

In a flash of golden light, the spirit stood before them, head bowed so her face couldn't be seen. "You summoned me, Lucy Heartfilia?"

"Not to contract," Lucy murmured, knowing that it was cruel of her to disturb the spirit's grief. "I wanted to know what your wishes were, regarding your situation."

Libra's head rose until she was looking Lucy in the eye. "Most Celestial Wizards would not complain about having the entire Zodaic fall into their lap," the spirit murmured.

"Well, I'm not most," Lucy declared. "I want to know what you want."

"I am at my master's command," Libra intoned. "Whatever choice you make, I will not argue it."

"Libra, this is Sorano Aguria," Lucy said, standing up to reach for Sorano's hand. "She was Yukino's sister. I would like to give her the keys Yukino had."

Gaze unreadable, Libra looked at the white haired woman. "You were the former master of Gemini, Scorpio, and Aries, correct?"

Sorano met the spirit's gaze steadfastly. "Yes I was. I killed the Celestial Wizard Karen Lilica and took her keys as my own. Until the day I was defeated by Lucy Heartfilia, I used her keys for my own purposes as Oracion Seis's Angel. If you choose not to trust me with your keys, I understand. My sins as a summoner were many. But know that I will not contract with you unless you choose it. I am no longer a Celestial Wizard and have developed other skills."

"If you would not contract us, why do you desire our keys?" Libra asked.

"Because they are all I have of my sister," Sorano answered slowly, and Lucy saw that the white haired woman was fighting for control over her emotions. "I would be honored to bear them until you find a wizard you feel suited to contract with."

"You have changed much in ten years," Libra said quietly. "I and my companions will go with you."

Lucy's attention was drawn by the silent conversation happening between Sting and Laxus. When they broke eye contact, Laxus nodded at Sorano. "You may carry the keys. While having Lucy hold them all may be easier to guard, they are also easier to lose if something happens to her."

Slightly insulted that Laxus had considered overriding what Libra had wanted, Lucy shoved that aside, knowing that they had other matters to deal with at the moment. Passing the keys to Sorano, she watched as the older woman tucked them into a hidden pocket in her skirt. "Laxus, with Sabertooth attacked, how are we going to respond?"

"We're not," he said heavily, returning to his chair. "We don't know who attacked them, so we can't retaliate. If we send out feelers, we have to send Gajeel, Erik, Jellal, and Meredy out, which takes too many people out of the guild for my liking. So we're hunkering down and letting Mest run the official investigation and hope something comes up that we can use. For now Sabertooth's staying here with us, and we're bringing the guild in. All of the girls without a defensible home are moving into Fairy Hills, and the men are moving in here. Erza and Minerva will run the girls' dormitory, while Mira and her siblings are running the guild hall. Freed's taking in Sting and the rest of Team Sabertooth. Kinana's moving in with Crime Sorciere, and Porlyusica is staying with us."

"Where's Rogue?" Sting said suddenly. "I haven't seen him since we got here."

"He ended up at Porlyusica's with us," Lucy said quietly. "Wendy woke him briefly, but he was very distressed."

"I had to knock him out when he got to the train station," Sting said heavily. "He was looking for Yukino and Frosch, and when he couldn't find them, he started to go crazy. I…I just couldn't manage him right then, not with having to leave them behind and everything else…"

"You left her body?" Sorano whispered. "You left it for the carrion?"

"Mest and the council were called before we left," Sting said evenly. "They'll recover the bodies and send them here to us. We'll be able to bury them wherever we want. Can I leave Yukino's burial arrangements to you?"

Sorano nodded mutely, and left the room. Laxus let her go, and Lucy couldn't blame him. For all she had opened up over the past year and a half, they had never truly seen the woman fight for control the way she had been during their conversation.

"Erik won't let her leave alone," Laxus said quietly. "Lucy, you shouldn't go out on your own any more. Take an S-class member, or your team with you if you need to leave the house or the guild."

"Understood," she murmured, before sitting back in the empty chair before his desk. "We may have another problem on our hands than just the bounty on Sorano and I. Yukino and Frosch's death may have started us on a path that terrifies me."

"What are you talking about?" Laxus said sharply. "I don't understand what else you could be worried about right now."

"During the Dragon King Festival," Lucy said slowly. "There were two visitors from the future. One of them was my future self, and the other was Rogue."

Sting paled. "I know Rogue was told that his future self was the cause of all the trouble, but neither of us really understood what happened."

"Natsu didn't want anyone to think badly of Rogue," Lucy whispered. "He said that since we had changed the future, there would be a chance that Rogue would never become that man. But you need to know everything that happened during those two days now, because we could be in a lot of trouble."

Lucy told them everything. She told them about the skirmish in the palace, how Future Rogue had tried to kill her because she would shut the gates but instead had killed her future self. How she had desperately tried first to close the gates and then to destroy them. And finally, how Natsu had told her that Rogue lost to the battle with his shadows a year after the Grand Magic Games when Frosch died. "That's when he killed Sting, took his powers, and began to become the man who travelled back in time."

"Oh gods," Sting whispered. "And now he's just lost Frosch and Yukino."

"What do you mean, he lost the battle with his shadows?" Laxus said.

"From what I understand, Rogue's shadows are constantly attacking him, trying to gain control. If he loses control to them, the dark side of his magic takes over and we lose the Rogue we know. Just like Nirvana has the ability to change a person's 'affiliation', Rogue's shadows have the capability of turning him into a monster." Lucy took a deep breath. "Wendy's been keeping him out all day until we could figure out what had happened. Now that we know for certain that we could be facing a situation where we lose Rogue…we need to be extremely careful with how we proceed."

Laxus turned to Sting. "You're his best friend. What do you suggest?"

Staring down at the floor, Sting shook his head. "Rogue's always been quiet, so it's hard to get close to him. He's not going to want someone trying to talk him through anything. We can be near him, but the moment we try and handle him, he's going to shut down. Not even I can get through to him when he's like that."

"We can't keep him out forever," Laxus muttered. "We've got to figure something out."

"He's looked up to Gajeel since he was young," Sting offered. "And Minerva's probably the next closest thing he has to a friend besides me."

"Jellal and Erik might be able to help as well," Lucy suggested. "Jellal and the rest of Crime Sorciere are familiar with matters like this."

"Who's Jellal?" Sting asked blankly.

"Oops," Lucy said quietly. While Jellal's identity wasn't _quite_ as much as a problem as it used to be, it was still something that they didn't want to bandy about. "Well…"

"He's the former council member Siegrain," Laxus said heavily. "You know him as Mystogun. It's a long story, but he's been working hard to redeem himself and we've admitted him into the guild."

Sting processed the information quietly, before standing up. "I've got to go check on the others," he said slowly. "And I need to see Rogue. It's time I explained what happened to him."

 *****Sorry for anyone who thought Frosch and Yukino might pull through. Unfortunately, for plot, I needed this to happen. So far I'm in the middle of chapter 11, so the updates will still be spaced out like this. Other than that...I have too many plot bunnies and two little time.*****


	4. Chapter 3

**Chapter Three:**

Lucy watched Sting leave the office, her heart aching. Laxus had thus far been spared the duty of informing someone that their loved ones had been killed during a battle, and she knew that it would never be an easy task. Turning back to the desk, she studied her boyfriend, trying to figure out what she wanted to ask him about.

"I'm sorry I didn't tell you," he murmured, reading her first question from her face. "There just never seemed to be the right time…"

"Yet you managed to tell Levy and Shadow Gear? Your team? Porlyusica? Jellal, Meredy, and Erik? Plus, I'd be willing to bet that Erza and Grey know, as well as Mira." It was hard to keep the hurt out of her voice. They had worked so hard to trust each other after she had almost died…to have him deliberately withhold information…

"They needed to know to keep you safe," Laxus said softly. "And if it helps, every single one of them told me that it was a bad idea to keep it from you."

"But you did anyway." Lucy stated. "I could have been attacked in the market and not had anything but my keys on me. If you had told me, I would have been prepared and alert, ready to get back to safety at a moment's notice."

"You spent two years looking like a cornered animal," Laxus almost shouted. "Can you imagine how it would feel to see you get that paranoid again? Now that I know what happened to you, I can see the signs so much clearer. Every minute I saw you in those six months, you were frightened, and you were angry. And now you tell me that you _knew_ you were being hunted, and I see the wariness, how you would jump when the doors would slam too loudly. How you asked Freed to put so many runes on that storage room so that it would survive anything. I couldn't bear to see you go back to that. Not after how happy you've been during the last year or so."

"My happiness is not worth my safety," Lucy retorted, rising to her feet. "And what if you had told Yukino? Maybe she'd be alive? If she had known that there was a chance, a chance that the attack was because of _her_ , I'd be willing to bet she would have gotten to Sting as quickly as possible so that she had backup. Instead she died, and we're stuck trying to figure out what the hell happened."

"She still might have died," Laxus roared. "We can't know that. Whoever attacked Sabertooth killed four mages and an Exceed. They pulled out suddenly, almost as if they had specifically been waiting for the signal that Yukino was dead. Yes, her death is a tragedy, I'm not denying that. But we may have lost her anyway."

"What if it had been me?" Lucy shouted. "What if it was us who got attacked? I would have charged into the fight because I wanted to protect all of you! The only way I would stop fighting was if I died! And then where would we be? A dead Celestial Wizard and potentially nine lost keys. Who knows how many other lives lost in the fighting just because I didn't know that we were being attacked because of me! And it's not that I'm not scared, because I'm downright _terrified_ right now. But when I know what's going on, I can at least make plans to protect myself."

"I still have nightmares where I see you lying in a pool of blood," growled Laxus, lighting sparking off his body. "At night I still wake up when I hear you whimpering in your dreams because you're reliving something that happened to you during that year and a half. I've seen you rub the scars on your wrists and your eyes go out of focus, and I know that you're remembering the day they tried to kill you. Sometimes when we walk to town, I remember you standing in the center of the road, too _afraid_ to take another step because all you associated this town with was pain and suffering. Do you think I want you to go back to that? If I could give you even one more day of peace, I would."

Lucy's fury subsided marginally. She remembered the painful year and the fear that accompanied it. As the mayor's attacks on her got more and more brazen, she wondered if the next one would come while she was in the guild? On the streets? Just thinking about it made her shiver.

Leaving her chair, the blonde moved around the desk, dropping into Laxus's lap and cuddling close to him. His warmth was soothing, and as his arms wrapped around her, she knew that she'd be safe, no matter what happened.

"I'm sorry," he whispered. "I know I should have told you, but you were so content…we may be in danger again, a danger that we can't even comprehend. If I could just give you a little bit of peace…"

"I know," she whispered into his chest. "I'm just frightened, and it came out as anger."

"There's one thing I want you to do," he said softly, brushing his lips across the top of her head. "Talk someone and get them to train you. Gajeel or Erik maybe, or even Minerva. They won't try and take it easy on you."

"I've been keeping up with my training," Lucy began, pulling away, but Laxus shushed her.

"But you haven't fought outside of training for a year and a half. Your only opponents have been Natsu and your spirits. Lucy, I don't know who the enemy is this time, but we better expect it's on the same level as a dragon slayer. If you're used to fighting with that intensity, I'll feel a lot more comfortable."

"I'll do it," she said quietly. "Erik and Gajeel. They can set the schedule, as long as it's okay with Mira in terms of my work at the bar."

Whatever Laxus was about to say was cut off by the roar that echoed throughout the guild hall, shaking the walls. Fear transfixed Lucy, as she remembered Acnologia's roar from Tenrou, but she was out of Laxus's lap in a heartbeat, running towards the infirmary.

Everyone was converging on the infirmary like her, but she was the first, beating Gajeel and Erik as they rushed up the stairs. Bursting through the door she found Rogue awake, his shadows spreading out from him, pinning Sting to the wall.

"You have to stop!" she screamed, reaching for her keys. "Rogue, it's not his fault!"

"Ryos, stop!" Gajeel shouted behind her, coming carefully into the room, skin shifting uneasily between his scales and his skin. "Listen to Skiadrium."

"She's gone," he roared, and the pain in his voice was obvious. "None of you understand!"

A shadow shot out of the mass surrounding Sting and headed directly towards Lucy. Frozen in fear, Lucy couldn't move, until a strong arm reached for her, pulling her out of the way. Beginning to breathe again, Lucy saw that it was Erik who had pulled her out of the way, and was now standing in front of her, looking absolutely furious. Laxus pushed through the crowd at the doorway, moving threateningly towards the shadow dragon slayer, a look on his face that Lucy hadn't seen since he went to deal with the mayor.

"Oh really?" a voice said from the doorway, and Sorano walked in, face hard and cold. "None of us understand what it means for Yukino to be gone?"

Rogue looked at her flatly. "What would you know about how it feels to lose her?"

"I was her sister, you worthless lump of dragon slayer," Sorano spat frigidly. "When I was taken by the Tower of Heaven I thought she was dead. Today I lost her for the second time, and there's no way I can ever get her back. So think about that before you go thinking you're all alone in this."

The shadows died slightly, but Sting was still pinned against the wall. "You don't understand…" Rogue whispered.

"And you think you understand me?" Sorano scoffed. "Bullshit. Look at your best friend. _Really_ look at him. Do you think that he isn't grieving? Look at all of the people in this room right now. Do _they_ look like everything's okay? Should I ask Libra to come out and show you how much Yukino's spirits are grieving? Will that convince you that everyone is hurting?"

Her voice dropped in volume and in pitch, but Lucy could hear every word. "I have been to hell on earth and clawed my way back out inch by inch, but losing Yukino is worse than anything they ever did to me in the Tower. Right now I could kill both of you, because you were supposed to protect her, but that's not going to do me any good. You kill him now, and you're starting down a path that's going to get you killed. Is that what you want? Because if it is, I'll save everyone else the time and effort and do it now."

Lucy watched breathlessly from behind Erik as the shadows holding Sting to the wall slithered back to Rogue, letting the white dragon slayer slump down to the floor. Rogue collapsed back on the bed, head in his hands. Gajeel moved to approach him, but Erik held him back. "He's seriously messed up right now," the poison dragon slayer warned softly.

"I've been there when he fought his shadows," Gajeel said roughly, pulling free of Erik's restraining arm. "I can handle him if he reacts again."

Stepping aside, Laxus let Gajeel pass, still watching Rogue warily. Sorano stalked by Lucy, muttering to Erik: "I'm taking Macbeth and Sawyer and I'm going home."

"Be safe, Sorano," he replied quietly.

"Thanks for pulling me out of the way," Lucy whispered, tapping his shoulder. "I couldn't move."

"I heard," he whispered. "It's a good thing Salamander didn't see what happened, or he would have lost his shit. You going to be good, Night Sky?"

As she pulled back, Lucy shook her head. "Nope. You don't call me that unless we're in serious mode, and I refuse to be in serious mode right now. Twice in one day is one time too many. I'll be fine Erik."

He chuckled lightly. "You better go talk Laxus down. He's still thinking of murdering the kid for even accidentally harming you. Rogue's not quite in control right now, which is the only thing keeping a leash on our beloved master."

Looking at her boyfriend, Lucy saw what he meant. "Got it. Oh, and Erik? Would you mind helping with my training?"

"Sure thing. See you bright and early tomorrow morning. I'll tell Gajeel too, if he gets any sleep tonight." The poison dragon slayer was grim as he looked at the iron dragon slayer, sitting next to Rogue wearing one of the softer expressions they had ever seen on the taciturn man's face. "We're going to have to figure out a way to help the kid, because there is something seriously messed up with his soul."

Lucy nodded as she moved to stand at Laxus's side. "Come on," she whispered, tugging on his sleeve. "Let's leave him to Gajeel and the others. You've had a long day organizing everyone, and you need to go home and rest."

With a nod, Laxus followed her out of the infirmary and into the hallway. Most of the crowd had dispersed, leaving the Raijinshu, Team Sabertooth's male members, and Jellal standing there. Closing the infirmary door, Laxus turned to what Lucy recognized as his advisors, with the addition of some of Sabertooth's top members.

"Most of Fairy Tail is bedded down for the night," Freed said quietly. "Mira had to frighten a majority of the men into bed, but Erza and Minerva report no such problems with Fairy Tail. How's the situation with Rogue?"

"Gajeel's got him under control for now," Laxus said with a heavy sigh. "He had Sting pinned up against the wall with his shadows, but somehow Sorano talked him down. What I'm worried about is how his shadows went after Lucy too."

"Lucy and Yukino are very similar, in terms of their personality." Rufus said quietly. "If Rogue's emotions are unstable, they tend to slip his control. Perhaps he viewed Lucy as some type of false Yukino, and his shadows reacted without his control."

"Erik told me that his soul is 'messed up'," Lucy murmured quietly. "Maybe Bickslow should take a look tomorrow, see if we can confirm it?"

"I'll talk with Erik," Bickslow said immediately. "He's got good ears, and with my eyes we might be able to figure out what's going on."

"Is Sting safe?" Evergreen said quietly. "I know they're friends, but if Rogue attacked Sting…"

"Those two are brothers," Orga said bluntly. "They can't hurt each other."

With a sigh, Laxus shook his head. "There's a chance that in his current state, if Rogue's shadows overtake him like they threatened to during the last day of the Grand Magic Games, he may pose a significant threat to Sting. We shouldn't leave the two of them alone together for the time being. I don't think Rogue's a significant harm to others right now, but for safety's sake, nobody's alone with him unless they're a dragon slayer."

"Wendy stayed in case you wanted to have her knock Rogue out for the night," Jellal said quietly. "She said it might help for a while; give him a chance to rest."

"Not tonight," Laxus said firmly. "Gajeel's in there right now, hopefully trying to reach out to him, get things back in control. We need to start doing that so this doesn't happen every time he wakes up. I want her close at hand, but she shouldn't sleep in the infirmary."

"The storage room is still set up the way I left it," Lucy murmured. "She could sleep there, away from the men but still within reach. Mira and Lisanna could sleep there too if they wanted. You can't hear what's happening inside, but you can still hear what happens on the outside. Plus she'll be safe if something happens."

Freed nodded. "I left the protection runes in place, in case we ever needed a room like that. I'll make sure that Mira knows."

Turning to Jellal, Laxus said: "Do you think Sorano needs Erik around tonight?"

"I don't know," the bluenette said quietly. "Out of all of them, she's the quietest about how she's doing. It would be useful to have him there though, just in case she needs him."

"Fine," Laxus said, looking over the group. "Natsu's here for immediate backup if Gajeel loses control of Rogue. Wendy's here as well. Listen well to what I'm about to say, because I'm not going to say it again and it doesn't go out of this group. I'll tell Erza and Minerva myself." His voice dropped into the coldest tone Lucy had ever heard him use. "The incident with the dragons in x791 was caused by Rogue coming to us from the future. In his timeline, Acnologia ruled the world. Rogue's future self used the Eclipse Gate to travel to our time and open the pathway, allowing dragons to move from the past to the future. This Rogue had in some point in the seven years between the Grand Magic Games and his returning to us killed Sting and taken his power for his own. All of this was triggered by losing Frosch, which caused him to lose himself to the shadows. We may have prevented him from bringing forward the dragons, but Acnologia still exists. Now Rogue has just lost Frosch, and Yukino. It is absolutely imperative that he does not lose to his shadows because of what we have seen that version of Rogue do."

Laxus took a deep breath and met Jellal's eyes steadily. "If we lose Rogue to the shadows, I leave the decision of what to do up to you. You have stood in his shoes, and you have faced more dark guilds than any of us here. We will do as you recommend."

"This is our guild mate's life you are talking about!" Orga hissed. "Not just some random stranger!"

"I'm taking this situation seriously," Laxus said evenly. "I am doing what I must to protect my family. We'll impress upon Rogue the importance of keeping his head, but I need to know that we all understand what is at stake here. With the celestial mages under attack, I can't be trying to suppress another adversary at the same time. Jellal can be trusted to not make this decision lightly."

"I have a memory of a man named Jellal," Rufus began quietly. "Are you the very same Jellal Fernandes who was once known as Siegrain of the Wizard Saints?"

Jellal nodded slightly. "I was indeed. For the past few years I have been going under the name of Mystogun, in order to prevent controversy. However, I assume Laxus finds it no longer necessary to hide my true identity if he's revealing my name to you."

"Why does he trust you to make the decision about Rogue?" Orga snapped. "You're a criminal."

"I built the Tower of Heaven while I was possessed by a mage of Grimoire Heart. Before that, I was a slave in that very same tower. The Oracion Seis and Erza Scarlet also were enslaved there. After Erza led the rebellion that destroyed the cult who had occupied it, Grimoire Heart, through me, took possession, exiling Erza Scarlet. As the master of the Tower, I did a number of cruel and inhumane things, including infiltrating the Magic Council and completing the R system through firing the Etherion at it. During the destruction of the Tower by Natsu Dragoneel, I fused myself with the lacrima in place of Erza Scarlet and kept the magical energy from destroying everything nearby. Somehow, the Oracion Seis found my comatose body and had Wendy revive me; however, I had amnesia. After the Nirvana incident, I was taken into custody and imprisoned until Meredy broke me out with the assistance of a former guild mate of hers. At that point, I had regained my memories, and together we formed the independent guild Crime Sorciere until we joined Fairy Tail after Laxus became master."

"Crime Sorciere?" Rufus mused. "You were credited for a lot of work abolishing dark guilds. And I can assume that you were the ones who helped the Oracion Seis become the people we know today?"

"They did most of that themselves," Jellal said softly. "I simply gave them an outlet and a direction. The one thing I have learned about repentance is that it has to be chosen, not forced."

Rufus nodded, his face showing no expression. "I believe that we can trust you not to condemn him without reason," the memory make mage said softly. "But it should only be the last resort."

"Of course," Jellal said quietly. "I would prefer not to have to reach that end if at all possible. But you were there for the dragon attack, and I hope you understand _why_ we can't let it get that far."

"We do," Rufus said sternly. "But we know that the man inside is not the same man who orchestrated that."

"We're talking worst case scenarios," Lucy broke in. "We can sit here all day debating whether or not we're going to reach a point where we'll have to kill Rogue before he becomes the monster we fought, but that isn't going to help him. Laxus is right, we need to be clear on the importance of stopping Future Rogue. But we should do our best _before_ he starts becoming that man. Gajeel's in there right now, trying to figure out the best way to help him. Erik's supervising, for now, but he's going home. Rufus, Orga, you two need to decide among yourselves who's going to be dealing with Sting and who will going to be dealing with Rogue."

At the first sounds of confusion, Lucy held up her hand. "Sting's suffering almost as much as Rogue is, especially since Rogue just lashed out at him. At the very least he needs to get into a bed and get some sleep. One of you takes him back to the Raijinshu's house with Freed, Bickslow, and Evergreen, and the other sits up with Rogue and Gajeel. Choose."

Rufus and Orga exchanged looks before Rufus nodded. "I will sit with Rogue tonight. Orga can take Sting back to the house. Our Lady can sit with him when she arrives in the morning."

The two Sabertooth mages entered the infirmary, leaving the Fairy Tail members in the hall. "Laxus, we'll be here early tomorrow morning," Freed said quietly. "I understand needing to wait for more information, but if we simply sit still, we're inviting trouble to come to us."

"I know," the lightning dragon slayer said heavily, and Lucy heard how tired he was in the strain on his voice. "But for Sabertooth's sake, we make no large movements until they have buried their dead. We owe them that much. If the tables were turned, we wouldn't be in a place to deal with anything but that."

"Go home you two," Evergreen said quietly. "You're both dead on your feet. We'll take care of Sting and Orga, and between Mira and Gajeel, the guild's under control. Porlyusica is already at your house. Once she saw that there were no major injuries, she stopped off muttering something about smelly humans."

Laxus cracked a smile. "Hopefully she's managed to figure out which room is my spare room."

"She's probably barricaded herself inside it," Bickslow said with a chuckle. "I know you wanted her close just in case something should happen, but she's going to get very irritated, very quickly."

Lucy giggled and felt Laxus's hand wrap around her own. "We're going to head out now," he said to the assembled mages. "Jellal, I take it you'll keep an eye on Sorano for us?"

"Only if you're watching Lucy," the blue haired mage countered. "Otherwise, I don't know how this is going to work."

With a smile, Laxus tugged Lucy gently towards the stairs. Careful to be quiet, they slipped between the rows of sleeping men, some of whom were obviously testing the limits of Mira's patience with their subtle whispering. Natsu and Grey were bickering quietly under a table as far away from Mira, who was standing at the bar, as possible. Lucy watched Mira's expression flicker as the argument grew in volume, and alternatively hoped and feared that the woman's patience would snap before she had left the guild.

As Laxus's arms, crackling with lightning, encircled her, Lucy heard the snapping of wood from inside the guild hall.

"I'LL SHOW YOU COWARD, FLAME IDIOT!"

"PUT SOME CLOTHES ON, BECAUSE ALL I SEE IS A STRIPPER, ICE PRINCESS."

"FOR ONCE I'M ALLOWED TO BE NAKED! IT'S HOW I SLEEP!"

Before Natsu could respond, or Mira could intervene, Laxus teleported them away. As they landed on the worn path in front of the porch stairs, Lucy shivered. "I know he's usually naked all the time, even in the guild hall, but the thought of him being _deliberately_ naked in the guild hall gives me the creeps."

Laxus growled, the rumbling echoing in his chest. "The stripper needs to keep his clothes on," he muttered, leading her up the stairs. "I don't know why you or Erza hasn't stopped him by now."

Inside, Lucy kicked off her shoes as she shrugged. "You'd have to sew them to his skin," she said nonchalantly. "We've already gotten used to it. It's just part of working with Grey."

Growling again, Laxus pulled Lucy close. "I can't help but feel jealous," he rumbled, hands slipping down to her waist as he pinned her against the wall. "What's a man to feel, knowing his girlfriend is habitually seeing a naked man that isn't him?"

Without warning, his mouth was on hers, and Lucy was drowning in sensations. In the months that she had been dating Laxus, she had learned that he was a good kisser, but this was beyond their normal interactions. There was a primal edge to him tonight, an urgency and a domination. One hand pinned her hip in place as the other reached up to bury itself in her hair, tipping her head so that he had access to her neck. Slowly his kisses trailed down the column, and Lucy shivered as she felt the brush of his canines, slightly longer than a normal human's thanks to his dragon slayer abilities. Her own arms were twining around his neck, hands burying in his hair and coat, pulling him closer if even possible.

Laxus returned to her mouth, hand sliding under the hem of her shirt, gently caressing the scarred skin underneath. Boldly, Lucy slipped her hands under his shirt collar, tracing the broad expanse of his shoulders with as much eagerness as he was exploring her navel. As he hit a ticklish spot, Lucy couldn't help but squirm, her hips coming into contact with his. And just like that, it was over.

Pulling back from her, Laxus looked as if he had been doused in cold water. Lucy struggled to return her breathing to its normal pace, wondering what had just happened. While they certainly had made out before, it had never been that intense, and it had never ended that suddenly. Something still lurked in the depth of Laxus's eyes, but as Lucy moved closer to him, he flinched and took a step back. "I'm sorry," he murmured, eyes unreadable all of the sudden. "I got a little carried away. It won't happen again, but we both need some space to cool down. For tonight, I'm just going to head to my room. See you in the morning?"

Before Lucy could respond, he was gone, disappearing down the hallway to his room. Standing in the entryway, the blonde wondered what had just happened. She had absolutely _no_ objections to anything that had just happened, if you didn't count the fact that it had _stopped_ happening. He had never pulled away from her like that. In the beginning she had made it clear that she wanted to wait before taking the final step with him, and he had agreed, but they had been nowhere near where she usually called a halt. Absentmindedly wandering down the hall to her room, she was surprised to find Loke inside.

"What's going on? Is everything all right with Libra?" she asked, thoughts of what had just transpired with Laxus flying out of her head. Loke had become a lot more respectful of her personal boundaries since Tartarus, and forcing open his gate was rarely an issue.

"Everything's okay Lucy," he soothed gently. "Libra and the others are mourning, but it's nothing they won't come back from. I wanted to see how you were doing after what just happened."

Lucy's eyes narrowed. "You know something," she said pointedly. "Tell me, or I'm asking Grandpa Crux."

"I don't know much," Loke said quietly. "And it's all speculation. But don't be too hard on yourself or Laxus. Sometimes a dragon slayer gets a little overwhelmed by situations like that and needs to cool down. He's just respecting what boundaries you two set. We could sense your confusion, so I wanted to let you know that everything was okay, and it wasn't anything either of you had done."

With a sigh, Lucy grabbed her pajamas from the hook behind the door. "Tell the others that they can spend as much time with Libra and the others as they want? I'll try to keep the summons to a minimum."

"Of course," Loke said, and with a bow, he was gone. Heading into the bathroom to get ready for bed, Lucy tried not to think too much about what had happened. Loke had said that it was just a dragon slayer thing, so she would accept that. Levy had never mentioned it to her, but she figured it wasn't something you wanted to talk about. And perhaps it was just about Laxus being a second generation, not something that the first generation slayers had to deal with.

Without her relationship to fret over, Lucy's mind turned to Yukino's death and the threat to both her and Sorano. She'd have to be extra careful, she reasoned as she climbed into her bed and pulled the covers over herself. No more running out to get something from a shop, no more going out unarmed. _In the morning_ , she thought as she drifted off to sleep. _In the morning, I'll start carrying my whip again_ …

 *****So this is a monster chapter, the first of many. They just keep getting longer. Lots of explanations in this chapter, so sorry if you feel they're a bit tedious, but I felt that they needed to happen. Next chapter, is actually a bit shorter. See you in two weeks.*****


	5. Chapter 4

**Chapter Four:**

"Blondie, if you're not out of bed in the next five minutes, I'm coming in and dragging you out myself!"

Lucy shot straight upright as she heard the pounding on her door, hand seizing on her whip as sleep left her. It took a moment before she recognized the voice, but once she did, the whip fell into her lap.

"Thanks for scaring away three years of my life Erik," she called, getting out of bed. "What do you want?"

"You asked me to train you," he called through her door, humor in his voice. "This is what it looks like. Four minutes left!"

Irritably, Lucy swapped her pajamas for yoga pants and a long sleeved tee shirt, not knowing what the man had in mind. Grabbing her belt and her whip, she headed for the hallway, throwing open her door. "I'm dressed, alright? Now what?"

"Leave everything here," Erik said cheerfully, undimmed by her irritated aura. "Cardio and bodyweight training. The clearing's been warded, so you won't have to worry about being attacked."

Laxus's door opened, and Lucy turned to complain to him, but her protests died when she saw him dressed in shorts and a sleeveless shirt, like she often saw him wear when he was training. If both dragon slayers were with her, she had no choice to participate.

An hour later, she dragged herself back into the house, contemplating viable ways to murder the poison dragon slayer. Laxus was merely along for the ride, doing his own version of the hell that Erik had designed for her, so she couldn't blame him. It _was_ slightly galling to see the ease with which he did over double the number of repetitions she did while barely breaking a sweat, but he had been training for much longer than she had. Erik was the bane of her existence. She didn't know how he managed to keep himself cheerful after the running diatribe that flowed easily through her soul with each new exercise he came up with. Even now, as he sat in the kitchen while she and Laxus showered, Lucy knew he could hear each and every detail of her plans to exact a significant amount of pain as she killed him. Yet he seemed completely oblivious.

"Not oblivious, Blondie!" he called as she headed for her room and the shower. "I just happen to know that none of those would ever work."

Muttering under her breath, Lucy shut her door with a slam and headed for the shower. Because she had chosen long pants and a long sleeved shirt, she had definitely overheated, and the feeling of drying sweat was just gross. At least Erik had told her that she wouldn't be doing any training with Gajeel at the guild, or she might have cried.

After her shower, Lucy felt significantly more human, and slightly less resentful of the poison dragon slayer. She had kept up with her training with her spirits, but not necessarily outside physical training. Erik had also wormed his way back into her good graces by fixing breakfast, although she made sure Laxus tried it first before she took a bite. There had been too many times where the poison dragon slayer had forgotten that everyone else didn't digest poison and Wendy had been called in.

Washing the breakfast dishes, Lucy attempted to eavesdrop on the quiet conversation that Laxus and Erik were having, but they kept it too low for her to hear over the sound of the running water. It was probably about the latest threat to her life, although this time Sorano was included in the target list. She wondered how long it would take for Mest to get them information on who had attacked Sabertooth, but at the same time she knew that she wouldn't be allowed to participate in any retaliatory action.

By the time she was finished with the dishes, Erik had headed for the shower in Laxus's room, since Porlyusica was in the guest room and _nobody_ wanted to broach the issue of someone borrowing her shower. Laxus was still sitting at the island, looking at some paperwork. "Are you going to go to the guild?" he asked distractedly, marking up one of the papers in front of him. "If not, we'll need to have someone come out to stay with you."

Lucy shook her head. "I'm going to the guild. With Sabertooth here, Mira's going to need me more than ever."

"Especially after she had to chaperone the men," Laxus grunted, turning to the next page in his stack. "She and Lisanna are going to be pretty tired."

"Tonight she should ask Erza to knock them out," Lucy replied, drying her hands. "It will save her some trouble, even if the only ones she knocks out are Natsu and Grey."

"Maybe," Laxus mused. "Oh, since you're coming, can you help me clear out some of the spare rooms on the second floor? The Raijinshu and the S class members have their offices, but I want Sting and whoever he designates as his second in command to have offices as well. Also, air out Gildart's office and tell Jellal he can use it. Who knows when the man will come back?"

Snickering, Lucy checked that her keys and whip were secured on her belt before sitting down next to him. "I'll see if I can borrow Levy and we'll get them cleaned out as soon as possible. Should we take a look at seeing what we can do with another room to create a little dormitory or just extra infirmary space if we've got the extra rooms?"

"That's probably not a bad idea." Before Laxus could say more though, Erik came through the door, saying: "Are you two ready to go?"

Gathering his papers, Laxus adjusted his coat and headed towards the entry. "Yeah, we're set. Let's go."

Wiping her face with the hem of her tee shirt, Lucy wondered why she had bothered to take a shower if she was just going to get sweatier. While it had been fun at first to sort through the extra rooms on the second floor, finding mementoes of days gone by, it had become difficult to find the enjoyment in shifting endless amounts of boxes and trying to find new homes for them in the already crowded attic. Each time they added new S-class members, they had to find new spaces. Mira had given up her second floor office when she returned, saying that if anyone wanted her, they could find her at the bar. Mystogun's had been usurped by Freed, and Bickslow and Evergreen had taken Laxus's office and the room next to it, linking all three rooms together with connecting doors. When Erza returned, they had been hard pressed to find another location for her office that was close to the others.

"How do we have so much stuff?" Lucy complained to Levy as they carried an armful of boxes up the stairs. "The building was _destroyed_ four years ago."

"Everyone brought in stuff in the three years we've been back," Levy huffed, shifting the boxes in her arms to open the door to the attic. "Plus we've gotten new stuff, like all of the Christmas decorations. Plus Mira was allowed to do the Valentine's decorations…"

"Still, why did we make such an effort to recover so many copies of _Sorcerer's Weekly_?" Lucy grunted, dropping the boxes at the base of the stack they had been creating. "We have a copy of _every single issue_ since the guild was formed."

"That's because we're _in_ all of those issues," Levy said morosely. "They're considered guild history, even when our only mention is in a note from the Magic Council on our destructive habits. Jason sent them over after he heard we were back."

Lucy couldn't remember seeing the shipment of boxes before, but she had been in and out of the guild on missions, so it wasn't unlikely that she had missed it. "Still," she said, heading back down the stairs to the recently cleaned office. "We need to clean this place up when all of this is over."

"And he'll need a desk and some chairs," Levy said looking over the dusty space critically. "Maybe a shelf?"

Shaking her head, Lucy dragged the dusty table from the corner where it had been resting. "We'll use this as his desk. Move those file cabinets underneath is, and it will look better. Someone probably has extra table lamps we can use. The chairs…we'll take one from Erza's office and one from Bickslow's. They don't usually have a ton of people in them anyway. For shelves we can take some of the timber that Mira keeps on hand for fixing Natsu-damage, and if you can convince Gajeel to make some brackets, we'll be all set. I don't know what he would put on shelves though…"

"It's aesthetics," Levy pouted. "Just to make it look like a real office."

By the time Lucy had to report to Mira for the lunch rush, they had gotten Sting's office mostly set up. The shelves still needed their brackets, but Levy swore that she'd get Gajeel to make them after lunch. Busy at the bar, the lunch rush passed in a blur, and before she knew it, Lucy was on her way back home.

Lying on the couch with a book, Lucy wondered what the future was going to look like. Today hadn't looked all that different from a usual day, with the exception of having Sabertooth's members around all day.

"Are we going to just stay like this?" she asked Laxus, who was listening to his sound pod with his eyes closed. "Just in a holding pattern, waiting for the next attack to come?"

"We're waiting for information," Laxus said firmly. "Mest will get us the information and then we'll figure out what's going on. You know as well as I do that if someone attacked Sabertooth, they're not going to flinch about attacking here, so I'd like to have everyone present when that happens."

"But Tartarus didn't attack us head on," Lucy reminded him. "They just blew up the guild hall."

"Tartarus didn't want Celestial mages or gate keys," Laxus snapped. "They're not going to chance blowing the two of you off the face of the earth because they blew up the guild hall."

"No, but Yukino still ended up dead," Lucy snapped back, shutting her book. "So maybe they didn't want to take her alive, but the goal was to kill her."

Laxus let out a heavy sigh. "We've considered that. But having everyone here means that we can make it a lot harder for them to get close to the two of you. Starting tomorrow we'll be running patrols around the city, trying to set up an early warning system. Cana and Charle are both working together so that we have any information possible about what might happen. At least one dragon slayer is up at night so we have their senses. There's no harm in trying to be as prepared as possible before we make an open challenge."

"Why don't you ask the First?" Lucy suggested, wiggling in an attempt to find a more comfortable position for her aching muscles. "Wasn't she known as the Fairy Tactician?"

"She hasn't been around since before Tartarus," Laxus said slowly. "We've been trying to find her, but she could have retreated back to Tenrou, and nobody knows how to wake her."

"So she's just gone?" Lucy said, realizing that she hadn't seen the ghost since before Tartarus.

"Mavis comes and goes as she will," Laxus said with a shrug. "Before Tenrou, nobody had ever reported talking with her ghost. We've got bigger issues to deal with though. Rogue's still severely withdrawn and Gajeel's reported that he barely got him to talk during the night. We could still be dealing with a potential Future Rogue situation. Let's try and find a solution to that before we deal with the external threats."

"Rogue isn't the man who started the Dragon King Festival," Lucy said sharply. "He's completely innocent."

"You were the one who brought up the issue," Laxus reminded her. "And you're right, he isn't that man. But he could be, and that's what I don't want to let happen. So while I'm going to do my best to help him, I'm also going to have a plan for stopping him if he lets go."

Lucy sighed, knowing that he was right. Rogue was a loose cannon, and they needed to keep that in mind. She wished she had some idea of what might bolster him in his fight against his shadows.

"Go to bed," Laxus said tiredly. "Erik worked you pretty hard today, and both he and Gajeel are training you tomorrow. I'd pack a bag to bring to the guild, since right after physical training you're eating and then heading to the guild for combat training with Gajeel. You did well this morning though."

With a yawn, Lucy stood and headed for her room, knowing that the lightning dragon slayer was right again. Packing a bag with all of her necessities, the blonde readied herself for bed and slipped under the covers, grateful that she was too tired to think much before sleep overtook her.


	6. Chapter 5

**Chapter Five:**

Showering after her brutal training session with Gajeel, Lucy enjoyed the feeling of hot water rolling down her skin. It was therapeutic, and definitely what she needed. Gajeel seemed to be taking pleasure in pushing her hard, and if she hadn't been the recipient of his torture methods, she'd claim that he was torturing her for fun.

The hot water was a gift from Natsu. After his destructive rampage during the first night the men had spent in the guild hall, Mira and Laxus had ordered him to act as the guild's water heater to ensure a steady supply of hot water. It kept him occupied, since nobody was taking missions, and it dealt with the issue of overtaxing the hot water heater because of the number of people living at the guild. Each time he broke something, Mira added a week to his sentence. At this rate, Lucy figured he'd never be able to get away. Last she had checked, the fire dragon slayer had accumulated three months' worth of damage. In five days.

Shutting off the shower, Lucy dried herself off and slipped into the clean clothing she had brought. Even though the celestial clothing Virgo had brought her while she was still contracted to the mayor was specifically made to withstand dirt and damage, Lucy still found herself having to ask Virgo to repair anything she wore during training. At least her normal clothing didn't face that level of damage, or she would have nothing left.

Fully dressed, Lucy was startled from her thoughts by a knock on the locker room door. "Lucy?" Freed called from the other side. "Laxus wants to see you in his office."

"What is it about?" she replied, settling her whip and keys on her belt. _Depending on the urgency, I may or may not have time for my makeup…_

"He wants to tell you himself," Freed said, and Lucy knew that it couldn't be harmless if he wouldn't at least give you a hint. "You have a little bit of time."

"No bother," Lucy said, throwing her makeup case back into her bag with her other clothes and towel. "I'm ready."

Freed was gone when she opened the door, and Lucy figured he was avoiding the questions she had been planning to ask. They had gotten to know each other over the past three years, and he had gotten used to being the target of her questions. If he wasn't willing to tell her why Laxus wanted her, it was probably going be something she wouldn't want to hear.

Climbing the stairs to her boyfriend's office, Lucy ran through the list of things that it could be. Top of the list was something Mest had found while completing the investigation into the attack on Sabertooth. It would explain why Freed didn't want to tell her anything, or why she was being summoned to Laxus's office.

When she opened the door, Lucy found that she wasn't the only one to have been summoned. Sorano sat stiffly in one of the chairs in front of Laxus's office, and Lucy knew that it had something to do with Sabertooth.

Once she had taken her seat Laxus began. "Mest got in touch with Sting today," he said slowly. "They've recovered all of the bodies from the guild hall and are beginning to send them to the families. Many of them have elected to make burial arrangements at Cardia Cathedral, with Sting's promise that a memorial section will be dedicated when they rebuild the guild hall. Sorano, he tells me that he's left burial arrangements for Yukino up to you, considering that Rogue isn't quite available to make them himself?"

Sorano's face was cold and pale as she nodded sharply. "I have made arrangements to bury her and Frosch with the others at Cardia Cathedral. Rogue is aware, and asked only that the two of them be buried together in the same plot."

Laxus nodded. Lucy could tell that it was taking a lot out of him to have this conversation, his first as master. "Mest tells us that their bodies will be arriving sometime tomorrow morning. We plan on opening the guild hall so that members of other guilds and any other parties may say their goodbyes. Because of that, you two will need to have someone by your side at all times from here on out."

"You want us to have a bodyguard," Lucy summarized. "Just in case someone sends an assassin when we have the doors open to everyone."

"It is an ideal situation for an enemy," Laxus admitted. "You can choose who you want as a bodyguard, just so long as they're S class. Lucy, even if you don't leave my side the entire night, I want someone else keeping an eye on you."

"Do they have to be by my side?" Sorano asked dully. "Can Jellal and the others just be nearby?"

"Of course," Laxus said quietly. "You have to be in sight of them at all times though, unless you talk to Jellal or I about it. I don't think you'll be a very big target during this because so few people knew you were a Celestial Spirit mage at one time, but I want to be on the safe side."

Sorano stood. "May I go now?" she asked sharply, and Lucy saw her fighting for control. "I'll stay with the others, but I need to make some preparations."

As Laxus nodded, Lucy reached out impulsively to grab the woman's hand. She wouldn't say that they were as close as her and Levy, but over the year and a half that Sorano had been at the guild, Lucy had grown fond of the prickly woman. "Stop by the house tonight?"

With a nod, Sorano shook herself free and left the room, leaving Laxus and Lucy sitting in silence.

"Have Mira be my bodyguard," Lucy said quietly. "You'll have to do the rounds of everyone there, and so will I as your girlfriend and the other known Celestial Wizard. Freed will be your second, so he'll need to stay near you, but Mira and I won't seem so out of place. We'll be busy making sure everything flows smoothly."

"Gajeel will be watching Rogue tomorrow, so he'll be pretty busy." Laxus said carefully. "Sting and I will be on the floor, and Erik will likely want to be with Sorano, so that makes three to four dragon slayers on the floor at all times. Gajeel will most likely be unobtrusive about it, as will Erik. I'm going to ask Natsu and Wendy to switch off between being visible and being on watch, just in case something happens while we're distracted. Same with Erza and the Raijinshu. At night, we'll move the caskets to the Cathedral, where they'll rest until they're buried in the morning during a private ceremony. That frees up the guild to be on high alert and prevents any harm from coming to the bodies."

Lucy nodded and rose, knowing that Mira would be needing her for the lunch rush. "Should I still expect Erik for training in the morning?" she asked as she prepared to leave.

"We'll be busy enough," Laxus said tiredly. "Don't worry about it."

 *****Hi everyone. A short chapter this week. Sorry about that. Anyway...next chapter is going to hurt. Sorry. This is not going to be a happy story.**

 **In other news, I** ** _am_** **planning on doing CoLu Week this year! Stay tuned for more details. Also, I may start posting a new story soon. We'll see. Might have to talk my beta into it. See you in two weeks (or less if beta says I can post the new story).*****


	7. Chapter 6

**Chapter Six:**

Sorano sat quietly beside the casket that held the bodies of her sister and Frosch. All of the caskets had been sealed shut, due to the amount of damage most of the bodies had sustained. Night had fallen, and Sabertooth had quietly borne their dead to the stone halls of one of the most famous cathedrals in Fiore. On quiet days, she had occasionally slipped inside, looking at the painted angels on the ceilings. Now she sat among the dead, keeping vigil for her sister.

 _You got my prayer, little sister. Is heaven as nice as I dreamed it would be?_

Years ago, oh so many years ago, a slave in the Tower had told her that when a person died, they went to heaven and became an angel. Listening to the descriptions, Sorano had decided that becoming an angel was her deepest desire. Not so much to die, but to live in that world, where everything was beautiful, and there were no guards shouting or whips cracking. The dream became a prayer, and eventually turned into her code name under Brain.

She smiled bitterly as she remembered the days of the Oracion Seis. Sorano knew that her actions certainly weren't those of an angel, but they were the only thing she knew. Even when Jellal had brought them under his control, taught them how to live the lives they should have had, she hadn't cared much. It was just another way of doing things, another master to follow. The others had believed it, had strived for repentance, but she hadn't. Even Erik, who she had never expected to turn from the path that Brain had set them on, had believed that there was a chance for repentance. But as Sorano looked at him for the first time since they had been arrested and put in different cells, she knew. Knew that without Cubelios, he wasn't Cobra anymore, but just Erik.

Finding Yukino alive again, after all those years…that had been the beginning of her quest for redemption. She now had a purpose in life, a reason to try and be a better person than she had been, more than just staying out of jail. Sorano had striven to be a person her sister was proud of.

And now she was gone, gone forever. There was no way that she would ever see her sister on this side of heaven again.

The sound of doors shutting made her look up, only to realize that it was just Sting returning from the outside. Sorano hadn't planned on sitting vigil, but when she went to leave the cathedral, she found that she couldn't. Sting had agreed with her, surprisingly enough, and had sent the others back to their lodgings. Rogue had been taken home much earlier, with the general consensus that he needed as much mental preparation as possible for the burial the next morning.

Sting had surprised her during the open hours at the guild. Her memories of the white dragon slayer were very similar to her memories of Natsu, but during the past five days he had been very much like Jellal. As he stood with her next to Yukino's casket, which had been placed in the center of the first floor, he had shown incredible solemnity, and a grief-fueled dignity. The afternoon had been long, as he deflected attention from Rogue, who stood next to him, cloaked in grief.

Her sister had been well loved, Sorano knew, but she didn't know exactly how much until she watched the mourners arrive. Lamia Scale had sent an entire contingent, including the Wizard Saint Jura. She knew he had recognized her, but he didn't say anything. Neither had Hibiki Lates, which surprised her even more. The fact that none of the Blue Pegasus delegation had commented on her presence was startling. She had expected to defend herself against veiled barbs, and would have welcomed them. She had in fact killed Karen Lilica. It was only just that her sister be taken from her, after all.

"How are you holding up?" Sting asked, nearly startling her out of her skin.

"Fine," she whispered, finding her voice hoarse from not being used.

"I'll have to thank Lucy," he murmured, looking around him at the five plain coffins that waited for their morning entombment. "She talked Laxus into letting us stay without guards. Actually, she and Mira both deserve a medal for keeping everything running smoothly today."

Yes. Lucy had been extraordinarily helpful. She and Virgo had outfitted Sorano with mourning clothes that didn't feel completely uncomfortable, and Cancer had helped her arrange her hair. The blonde had then spent most of the day helping to deflect questions from Sorano and Rogue in between making sure that traffic inside the guild hall flowed smoothly, and refreshments were available to any who wanted them. Sorano had eaten something. She couldn't remember what, but she remembered Erik and Kinana drawing her away and pressing a plate into her hands.

"Yukino was the closest thing to a sister as I'll ever know," Sting said quietly, taking the stool next to her. "And Rogue is even closer than a brother. Frosch was Lector's best friend…I don't know what the three of us are going to do without them. Lector's putting up a front for Happy and the others, but I can see him waiting for Frosch to comment and realizing that she's not there. I sent him home with Wendy tonight. Maybe it was selfish of me, but I didn't want him to have to sit here tonight. I do it because I loved them, but for all that he's grown up, he's still like a child in my eyes."

Sorano could only hum in response, not really knowing what else to say. She had never had someone like that in her life. Ever since the beginning, ever since she lost Yukino, she had only had the other Seis, and they were her brothers, born in terror and despair. The white haired woman knew that she would trust each of them with her life, but she also knew that they could protect themselves. None of them needed her protection. Just like she didn't need theirs. Early on they had learned that the only person they could depend on was themselves. Brain had no tolerance for bonds beyond those of teammates, although he had tolerated their sibling ties to an extent.

"Other than my regret over not having been there to save her, I regret not fighting for her during the Grand Magic Games," Sting continued, staring at the coffin. "Sabertooth was different then. We didn't care about each other like we do now. After she lost, Jiemma, the former guild master, excommunicated her. Made her strip down in front of the guild and remove her own guild mark. I don't know how comfortable any of us felt then, but we should have said something. The next day I was there, getting punished for losing to Natsu and Gajeel, but I had no issue standing up for Lector. Why your sister came back and gave us a second chance, I don't know, but I'm so incredibly grateful that she did. Yukino became Sabertooth's Lucy, or maybe Mira. The type of person who draws you in and makes you feel like you'll always have an ally by your side."

They sat in silence for a while longer before Sting continued. "I don't know how you're still sane. Rogue's spiraling out inside, I can tell. Burying these two…it's like he's burying his wife and child. As long as I've known him, Frosch has always been there, tagging along at his heels. And Yukino…those two had something that goes beyond anything I've ever seen. If there was such a thing as a soulmate, she was his."

His voice grew hoarse as he continued. "If I didn't have to be guild master, if it wasn't my responsibility to keep everything running, I don't know what I'd do. Fall apart maybe. Run off trying to find the people who did this and make sure that they paid in blood. Drink myself into oblivion. Get Natsu to pound me into the ground again. Anything so I don't have to face what's happened, so I don't have to _feel_."

It had always been Yukino who was good with people, Sorano reflected. She was too harsh, too cold to actually reach a person. All day she had listened to people tell her how sorry they were for her loss, how they sympathized with her and she wanted to scream. It felt like they were belittling her pain, making it something less as they tried to sound understanding. "She was my sister, and tomorrow I have to bury her for the second time," she whispered hoarsely, not knowing why she spoke. "None of them understand."

"No, they don't." Sting agreed softly. "Mira does. Lucy does. Grey does. Most of Fairy Tail, actually. They mentally buried the group that disappeared during Tenrou, not knowing if they would ever return. But the others? They don't. It's an awful finality, sitting here, looking at these wooden boxes and knowing that tomorrow I have to bury four of my guild members. As a master, I'm supposed to protect them, just like Makarov did when he faced Jose, like he did when they faced Acnologia. I'm supposed to fall before them. Each and every person who lies here, I have failed. But most of all, my sister and my friend lies here, and I have failed her the most. Tomorrow I have to watch all of them being lowered into the ground and know that nothing I ever do will make time go back so that I can make things right."

Looking at him, seeing the tears in his eyes, Sorano realized that Sting _knew_. Somehow the white dragon slayer knew exactly what she was feeling as she stared at Yukino's casket. Tentatively, she reached out her hand and rested it on his arm, feeling the trembling as he attempted to hold back tears. As he turned to face her, she took a breath and let go of the mask she had been wearing ever since the news came, letting him see exactly how vulnerable she felt, how broken she was. "I buried my parents, and my sister. Now I have to bury her again. Twice now I failed her, and there is no third chance. After tomorrow, I don't know what I'm going to do."

Sting placed his arm around her shoulder and drew her close before she could react. Pressed against his chest, the white haired woman could hear the sobs in his voice as he whispered. "We bury the dead, and we learn to move on. If possible, we punish the ones who took them from us, but most of all, we learn to live without them. Our friends are walking beside us, bearing as much of the grief as we'll let them carry, because without them, it would swallow us. No matter what we think or how we feel though, Yukino will always be with us, no matter how much time passes, because we won't ever forget her."

For the first time in years, since she was a child in the Tower of Heaven, Sorano felt her tears begin to fall. And once they started, they were unstoppable. She could feel Sting's body shaking as his own tears fell, feel the warm drops on her head.

Above them, high in the rafters, two pairs of red eyes glowed in the dark, looking at the dimly lit scene below them. When asked later, Gajeel would swear that he and Rogue were asleep back at the Raijinshu's house, but nobody was ever able to verify that. Sorano would swear that she had felt a feather-light touch on her shoulder and a gust of wind as if someone had passed her, but Sting swore that he couldn't smell anyone else near them.

The next morning, the members of Sabertooth and select Fairy Tail members gathered in the churchyard as five caskets were lowered into the holes dug for them. Sorano asked quietly to be allowed to remain at the graveside with Macbeth and Sawyer, and Laxus agreed, seeing the pain on the woman's face.

Three hours later, the pair came staggering into the guild on stiff legs.

"She's gone," Sawyer gasped as he supported Macbeth. "Sorano took off after using something on us that kept us from moving."

Erik led a group to attempt to find her, but not even Gajeel could catch her trail. The woman had simply disappeared. Lucy cried as they handed Yukino's keys to her.

"Stop the search," Laxus said heavily as the group poured over maps late into the night. "If we look too hard, they'll realize that she's out there on her own, and Sorano will be in even more danger. We have to hope that she'll come back safely, and the fact that we can't find her might mean that nobody else can."

 *****I'm sorry. This hurt me when I wrote it, hurt me again when I beta'd it...Hope everyone had kleenex.**

 **Not much else in other news. This will update in two weeks,** ** _The Chained Dragon and the Celestial Princess_** **updates next Wednesday, and I'm slowly working on CoLu Week 2016. Life's a little crazy here, so not much progress will be made right away, but updates will continue uninterrupted.*****


	8. Chapter 7

**Chapter Seven:**

Lucy paused for a moment as the doors slammed open. Everyone was on edge, and it showed. Sabertooth had been attacked just about a month ago, and nobody had any idea who had done it. Sorano was still missing, and the only good thing about that situation was that if Sorano had been killed, someone would have found her body.

However, when the shouting didn't come, Lucy went back to what she had been doing: dealing with the lunch rush. With both guilds occupying the guild hall, it was worse than ever, and she, Mira, and Kinana were being worked off their feet. The only good thing was that her training with Erik and Gajeel had improved her stamina and speed by leaps and bounds over the past month, making her better equipped to deal with the rush.

 _It's probably just a group coming back from a mission,_ she thought distractedly as she took Max's order and shoved it at Kinana, who had drawn kitchen duty that afternoon. _Some of them haven't learned Laxus's rules about treating the guild hall with respect. Natsu, in particular…_

However, she couldn't shake the feeling that it was something much more significant than an overeager returner, and her senses were on high alert. While not as sharp as a dragon slayer's, the blonde knew she had lived in paranoia for long enough to never _not_ be aware of her surroundings.

Rushing from one customer to another, Lucy managed to lose herself in her work, but as she circled back to Max, his plate in her hands, she noticed how the guild was quiet, something that never happened now that two guilds were gathered under the roof.

As she froze, knowing that something was happening, Lucy saw the last line of people who had been obstructing her view of the door shift, allowing her a clear sightline.

Standing in the doorway was a man that she had never seen before. The only word her brain could come up with to describe him was _wild_. Most of what she could see was covered by a tattered cloak, and as the man began to move further into the guild hall. As he passed, whispers followed him, until he had stopped in front of the bar, eyes locked on _her_.

Now that he stood in front of her, Lucy revised her opinion of him. He wasn't wild, he was _feral_. More animal than man, he exuded the air of a predator. From his bare feet, covered by tattered trousers, to the wild white hair cascading around his shoulder that looked as if it hadn't ever seen a brush, it was obvious that this man hadn't walked among his own kind for a long while. But Lucy wondered if that was the case, taking in the blue markings on his face, markings that she would never forget.

"Acnologia," she breathed, hearing the gasps from everyone around her. Nobody who had been on Tenrou would ever forget those markings, and those who had seen the fight between Igneel and Acnologia could forget the dragon's power.

"Maiden of the Stars," he rasped in return, one side of his mouth twitching up in a grin, but all Lucy saw was the sliver of a canine that he had revealed. "No wonder everyone wants to sink their claws into you. You're a plucky one."

Around her, Lucy saw her guild mates flinching away, cowering on the floor. But she held her ground, knowing that if the dragon had wanted to destroy them, he would have simply blown them away. Behind the bar, the blonde's knees were shaking, her palms were sweating, and she knew that if he chose to attack, she wouldn't be able to stop him, wouldn't even be able to reach her keys. Yet she stood firm, praying that this wasn't the end.

A scuffling sounded from the second floor, and Lucy's head snapped up just in time to see Natsu vault over the railing, fists ablaze. "YOU KILLED IGNEEL!" he bellowed as he landed on a table, sending dishes and occupants scattering.

The dragon simply bared his teeth, raising his right arm to draw attention to the white strip of cloth he had been carrying. "I come under a truce, son of Igneel," he rasped lowly. "Would you break that truce?"

Lucy held her breath as her best friend drew closer and closer to the dragon, knowing that should Natsu land a hit, it was over for all of them. Even if she made it over the bar, she wouldn't reach them in time…

A flash of lighting made her flinch back, and then Laxus was there, standing between Acnologia and Natsu, the latter's fist caught in his hand. Natsu was startled enough to let his guard down, giving Laxus an extra minute to subdue him.

"Get him outside and into a rune cage," he growled, handing the fire dragon slayer to Freed and Bickslow, who had made much less dramatic entrances. "Don't let him out without talking to me first."

Before he could do anything more than snarl, Natsu was bundled out of the guild hall, leaving Acnologia and Laxus facing each other. The tall blonde crossed his arms over his chest as he looked the dragon in the eye. "I am Laxus Dreyar, master of the Fairy Tail guild. What brings you to Magnolia?"

Acnologia studied him slowly, and Lucy felt more as if Laxus was being sized up as a competitor. "I have come with a proposition," he rasped, lowering his arm and letting the cloth drag upon the floor. "For you, and for Weisslogia's son."

Murmurs filled the guild hall, and Laxus looked up to the railing, and as Lucy followed his gaze, she saw the white dragon slayer there, leaning against it as if he was unconcerned, but still wary. The two dragon slayers exchanged a long look before Laxus turned back to Acnologia. "We'll listen, but we'll go to my office."

"You can have two advisors," Acnologia rasped as he inclined his head in agreement. "And I want two witnesses of my own and your solemn word that I will not be attacked."

"Agreed," Laxus said slowly. "You have my word that nobody here will harm you while you are still under the white flag."

As the dragon wavered, looking unconvinced, Lucy remembered something that one of her tutors had once mentioned.

 _Remember Lucy, as lady of the house, you control the refreshments. Refusing to offer refreshment to a guest is a sign that they are not welcome, and in a different era, they are not safe. To offer a guest food means that they are safe while they remain within the walls of your house. The earliest traditions used bread and salt to signal this safety, but modern enlightenment offers you tea or supper, depending on the situation…_

Coming back from her memories, Lucy looked hastily around the bar, setting Max's plate down before she dropped it. Grabbing a clean plate, she placed a slice of bread and a salt shaker on it before circling around the bar to offer the items to Acnologia. She didn't know if this would provide the security the dragon was looking for, but she figured it might do _something_ to assure him that they meant no harm…for the moment.

His eyes widened briefly as she approached, but his grin spread slightly. "The Maiden of the Stars knows the old ways," he rasped with some amusement as he took the bread and sprinkled some salt on it. As he took a bite, some of the wariness left his shoulders. "I will accept my rights as your guest. Choose your advisors, hybrid, son of Weisslogia."

Lucy could see Laxus's confusion and how he bristled over the title Acnologia had bestowed upon him, but he restrained himself. "Freed, sit in."

"You too, Ro…Rufus," Sting said, and Lucy heard the pain in his voice as he realized that his closest advisor couldn't be trusted to sit in. "Are we doing this now?"

"Do you need time to get your witnesses?" Laxus asked Acnologia.

"I want the Maiden of the Stars and the Maiden of the Sky as my witnesses," the dragon murmured, and the background whispers and commentary rose immediately to a roar of protest. Lucy was certain that Natsu's roar of protest could be heard as far away as Tenrou Island, its volume shaking the guild walls.

Laxus pinned Lucy with a stare, and she met his eyes with a bold stare of her own. The thought of Acnologia asking specifically for her terrified her out of her mind, but something inside her told her that they needed to trust the dragon for the moment. Why would someone who could easily blow them off the map come to meet face to face with them? It didn't make sense.

Finally he shrugged and silenced the guild's screams of protests with a crack of thunder overhead. "They can sit in if they choose. But it's up to them. I will not force them."

Acnologia turned towards Lucy and she found herself starting into emotionless eyes. _No, that's not quite right_ , she said, captivated for a moment. Emotions swirled well behind the expressionless face the dragon turned man presented to them, and they tempted her as much as they frightened her. People had always been a puzzle for Lucy to figure out, and this man was the ultimate puzzle.

"Celestial Maiden," he rasped, seeming to grow in austerity. "I ask for you as my witness."

She felt a strange compulsion to drop her eyes, to bow her head before this man, but Lucy would not. Drawing up her strength of will, she continued to meet his stare. "And I will attend as a witness." She fixed her face into the emotionless mask that years of being trained as her father's only heir had ingrained in her, and she gestured towards the stairs. "Shall we remove ourselves to the guild master's office?"

"What of the Maiden of the Sky?" Acnologia asked warily. "Will she be joining us?"

"Wendy's being asked right now. If she doesn't choose to attend, do you want another witness?" Laxus's voice was calm, but Lucy could hear the tension coursing underneath the surface.

"I will have the Maiden of the Sky and the Maiden of the Stars." Acnologia rasped flatly.

"Wendy will choose," Laxus countered.

Around her, the dragon slayers shifted slightly, and Lucy had spent enough time around them to know that it meant they had heard something.

"Wendy is currently being moved to my office," Laxus said roughly. "You will have the witnesses you want."

"Celestial Maiden," Acnologia said, and he offered his arm to her. Lucy was startled, but hid it behind her mask, warning Laxus with her eyes not to interfere. _It's just another business negotiation. Keep calm Lucy, and use what your father taught you. You'll be fine. Laxus and Sting will be there, as well as Rufus and Freed. Wendy's there for healing if need be, and I doubt Acnologia can move faster than Laxus._

Together they moved slowly up the stairs, Acnologia moving with a feral grace. Under her hand, his arm was warm; the usual heat of a dragon slayer. Natsu, of course, usually ran warmer than normal human beings, but the other dragon slayers also seemed to have a higher body temperature than she did. Yet each time Lucy identified a familiar characteristic in the dragon, she found something else unnerving, something else that made him that much different from the others.

At the top of the stairs, Lucy saw Gajeel standing in front of Laxus's office door. "The kid's inside," he growled, menace in his voice. "She smelled you, but she won't attack."

"She's much like her mother in that regards," Acnologia mused roughly. "Grandeena never fought if she could help it."

A growl slipped from Gajeel's throat. "It would be best to refrain from mentioning any of our parents," he snapped, visibly fighting for control. "You may not have killed them, but they died for the chance to stop you."

"Gajeel," Laxus snapped. "Go out and try and talk Natsu down."

The iron dragon slayer glared at Acnologia for another moment before stomping past them and down the stairs. Lucy wondered where Erik was, but figured that Laxus had asked him to stay secluded. While they may have all seven dragon slayers at the guild, Erik's Soul Listening Magic would be more useful if Acnologia didn't know it existed until the last moment. _He could also be on Rogue duty,_ Lucy reasoned as she pushed open Laxus's office door.

Wendy stiffened on the couch as her eyes met Acnologia's. Lucy casually stepped in front of the dragon as she entered, putting herself between the girl she thought of as a little sister and the dragon who was most likely the most dangerous opponent any of them had ever faced. But Acnologia simply moved to the side and took his seat on the couch, next to Wendy, leaving Lucy no choice but to sit next to him and hope that she was close enough that Horologium could save Wendy if the girl was in danger.

Laxus and Sting took up what were becoming their usual chairs in the office, with Rufus taking the remaining chair and Freed hovering behind the lightning dragon slayer, like a bodyguard.

"What do you want?" Laxus growled, and Lucy could feel her hair beginning to stand on end due to the increase in static electricity as Laxus fought for control of his magic. "You've got us, you've got your witnesses, now speak your piece."

"Calm yourself, hybrid," Acnologia sneered. "You have been bound by bread and salt. The consequences are dire if you break that bond."

"Speak your piece," Laxus snarled.

"The Black Wizard came to me," Acnologia rasped quietly. The change in the room was instantaneous. Expressions of anger and rage were now caution and fear. Lucy bit her lip slightly. It seemed as if Zeref appeared in far too many of her adventures within Fairy Tail. First Lullaby, then Deliora, followed by the Tower of Heaven…only to continue with his appearance on Tenrou and then at the last battle with Tartarus. For him to have gone out of his way to seek an audience with the dragon of the apocalypse…it didn't bode well.

"And what did he want?" Freed asked, when it seemed as if nobody would break the stunned silence.

"War," Acnologia growled, the feral light in his eyes shining. "Ragnarok. The destruction of the world."

"And despite your name, you have a problem with that?" Laxus said boldly. "Or have you come as a messenger, warning us to lie down and die quietly?"

Acnologia laughed, but his laughter sounded like that of a madman. "I know what you call me, hybrid, but I can promise you, I am no friend of the Black Wizard. The honor of killing him belongs to me and me alone. For all I care, the rest of the world can go to hell."

"So what brings you to seek a meeting with us?" Sting queried, leaning forward slightly. "Are you warning us to stay away from Zeref?"

"In part," the dragon acknowledged. "But I know that he will come for you, and you will seek him out, and he would much rather we fight for the honor of annihilating him before he has to fight the winner. If I do not have to squash you on my way to him, it would make it more convenient for me."

"What do you want then? We're not going to go looking for Zeref unless he comes and knocks on our front door." Laxus snapped, leaning back in his chair. "You've come a long way just to deliver a warning."

"I also came to offer aid," the dragon snapped. "Mark my words, hybrid, the Black Wizard _will_ come knocking, and when he does, I intend to send him to hell. You are already afraid for the Maiden of the Stars; my presence will help ensure her safety. I can also teach some very valuable wisdom that you and the snake are lacking."

"And in exchange?" Rufus said calmly, watching the dragon. "You have just traded aid and knowledge for nothing more than the right to defeat Zeref. In the past you have crushed Fairy Tail without even trying, and have defeated an old, wise dragon with no assistance. Even if it came to a fight for the right to challenge Zeref, I doubt that you would lose."

"I am not just asking for non-interference," Acnologia said, his left arm moving to grasp his cloak, which Lucy realized had covered his right arm since he had walked into Fairy Tail. "I ask for the Maiden of the Sky to heal me."

Uncovering his arm, he revealed a twisted, mangled stump, ripped off somewhere just below the shoulder. Wendy's medic mode kicked in, and Lucy saw her eyes harden as she assessed the damage. "Did you cauterize this as a human or a dragon?" she asked briskly, reaching out for the limb before Laxus's sharp command had her retreating from the dragon.

"Wendy, do _not_ …!"

Lucy saw her boyfriend suck in a breath before continuing. "Wendy. Until we've discussed the terms of our alliance, you are not allowed to examine him."

"Since the healing _is_ part of the terms, I think you'd want me to at least see if it's something I can do," Wendy replied pertly. "But I need to understand what he wants."

"I want my arm back," Acnologia growled. "Completely."

"Then you're out of luck," Wendy said with a shrug. "I don't regrow limbs, I repair them. Find someone to make you a prosthetic."

"You can," Acnologia said, unconcerned with her attitude. "In addition to the aid I promised, and the wisdom for the hybrid and the snake, I will pass on to you several tomes of sky dragon healing magic. Within it are methods to regenerate limbs. You may keep them, and use them to heal my arm."

Wendy's eyes widened in shock, but Laxus cut in again. "We will have to discuss this. For the time being, you may stay in here. I will give you my word that nobody will harm you. Sting and I will adjourn and discuss your terms."

"So be it," Acnologia grunted. "But the Maiden of the Stars and the Maiden of the Sky stay with me."

"Wendy goes to the infirmary under the watch of her mentor," Laxus countered. "Because her healing skills are part of the terms you are proposing. Lucy may stay if she feels comfortable, but I will put a guard on this door, and she is allowed to summon her spirits if she feels threatened. The guard is for both of your sakes. I don't trust Natsu not to pitch a fit when he learns about this."

"Agreed," Acnologia said. "Let the son of Metallicana stand guard. His senses will tell him if there is a need to interfere."

"Gajeel's dealing with Natsu," Freed commented, looking out the window. "He's usually the only one who can put sense into his head."

"The son of Skiadrium?" Acnologia proposed, looking irritated. Sting and Laxus exchanged glances and shook their heads.

"What about Erza Scarlet? She is honorable and trustworthy." Laxus proposed, and Lucy hid a wince. While she knew Erza would be faithful in guarding the door, she knew that one stray move, one shout, and her friend would be in the room, ready to defend Lucy's honor.

Acnologia considered the choice for a minute before nodding. "The reputation of the lady knight precedes her. She is an acceptable choice for a warden."

Lucy bit back a snicker at how on point his comment had been, and Laxus looked at her sternly. Masking her emotions with the cool face of the well-bred heiress, the blonde watched quietly as the others filed out, leaving her alone with a man who was likely the most deadly predator to have ever walked Earthland's soil.

Casually, she moved across to the small table that hid a refrigerator and opened it to find a pitcher of water. Withdrawing it, she reached for the glasses on the shelf above the table. "Would you like a drink?"

"Water would be welcomed," the dragon said with a nod. As Lucy poured the drink, she studied the man in front of her from the corner of her eyes. He seemed both comfortable an uncomfortable in the office, and Lucy wondered how long it had been since he had taken this form.

Crossing back to him, she handed him the glass of water, priding herself on her retention of the skills that had been useful when she was Lucy Heartfilia, not Lucy of Fairy Tail. Returning for her own glass, she took Sting's discarded chair, the closest to Acnologia she could be without being on the couch with him.

"You were a dragon slayer once?" Lucy asked, knowing that she sounded indifferent, as if she was simply making polite conversation. It was a skill she had honed during her year and a half of service under the mayor.

"That was a fact I had thought long lost," Acnologia replied in return, and she smiled slightly at his deflection. _He's as good at this game as I am._ "Although given your company, I should not be surprised by your knowledge."

"It is true that I spend much of my time with dragon slayers," Lucy commented, taking a sip of her water. "It was a relatively simple conclusion to draw."

"Was it now?" Acnologia rasped, watching her over his water glass. "Very few would draw that conclusion. A dragon who could become a man does not seem like a dragon slayer. It seems more like dragon magic."

Lucy nodded politely. "Not when you know that your friends parents' sealed themselves inside their children's' bodies to prevent them from turning into dragons themselves," she responded. "It was one of the few gems of information that they were able to impart."

"Is that so?" the dragon countered. "They were always nosy, interfering busybodies. I don't know how they managed to linger as long as they did, but it was impressive. I am more impressed by the human mockery that you call the second generation."

"Lacrima implementation?" Lucy queried. "The sons of Weisslogia and Skiadrium have also availed themselves of it."

"Untaught children," Acnologia grunted. "While the dragons themselves were meddling fools, the power they bestowed upon the slayers is not to be taken lightly. That is part of why I have come."

"You fear that Laxus and Cobra will undergo dragonification?" Lucy asked pointedly, taking another sip of her water.

"It would take effort to subdue them," Acnologia said lightly. "But it could be done. I had to offer something in exchange for the healing I seek. Since I can only assume that you would rather not have your lover undergo the transformation. Or am I wrong?"

"We may be…courting each other," Lucy said carefully. "But we are not lovers." _Not yet_.

"If I may?" Acnologia said, setting his glass on the end table and standing up. He gestured to her neck. "I would like to see something."

Lucy weighed the options, and nodded. There were only scars for him to see, and she could feel Loke's key practically vibrating on her hip. Erza was just outside the door if she needed help…

The dragon crossed over and reached slowly for the collar of her shirt. Pulling it aside, he looked at her neck. Lucy did her best to sit still and ignore the instincts that were shrieking at her to get away from the predator at her neck. But they were already conflicting with new instincts that were rising within her, telling her to shift so that her neck was bared even more…

As he finally stepped away, Lucy regained her sense of calm. "Did you find what you were looking for?"

Acnologia sat back on the couch and collected his glass. "You bear no mate mark. The hybrid has no cause to act territorial."

Lucy raised her eyebrow. "We are courting," she reminded the dragon slayer. "If he came around the person you were courting, could you honestly say that you would be unaffected?"

The dragon slayer shrugged. "It wouldn't be an issue because my mate would bear my mark before she went among other dragons or slayers. They would know then that she was not to be trifled with and would respect that."

Using the pause caused by her taking a sip of her water to think, Lucy replied: "Your mark?"

It was Acnologia's turn to appear shocked. "Do you know nothing of the customs of dragon slayers?"

"Are they not the same as the customs of humans?" Lucy replied, wondering what the dragon slayer could mean.

"They are more like the customs of dragons, at least when it comes to our mates." Acnologia said firmly. "While we may not have predestined mates, our instincts draw us closer to those who would suit us. Once we have chosen a mate, we place our mark upon them, and our protection is extended to them. That you have not been marked makes you vulnerable. I know not what the hybrid is thinking by leaving you unmarked while gathering the slayers to him. It can only lead to trouble."

"None of the others would ever hurt me," Lucy declared coldly. "None at all."

With a shrug, Acnologia took a sip of his own water. "It is not physical harm that I refer to," he said lowly. "You have the potential to be an alpha female. Any male seeking to bring these slayers under his leadership could take you as a mate to strengthen his claim. Based on the reactions I observed below, you are both beloved and respected by those you call guildmates. Anyone seeking to influence them need merely claim you."

"I am not a pawn in anybody's game," Lucy hissed angrily, remembering how Jose had used her as the reason to go to war with Fairy Tail, how Flare had used her to make a fool out of her guild, how Minerva had sown tension between their guilds by torturing her. "I'm my own person."

The door opened, and Erza looked in on them, no doubt alerted by the anger in Lucy's voice. "Is everything okay Lucy?" she asked sternly, sword in hand, eyes on Acnologia.

"Everything is fine," Lucy said, taking a deep breath and resuming her cool façade. "Thank you for your concern."

"Of course," Erza said, closing the door again. Acnologia looked at the door for another minute before looking back to her.

"You are not a pawn," he rasped in agreement. "You are the queen. A powerful piece in the right hands."

Not wanting to give him the satisfaction of an answer and risk getting into another disagreement, Lucy remained silent, wondering what he meant. She had read about certain animals and monsters forming social structures with an alpha pair as leaders, but she knew that humans as a rule didn't subscribe to that structure. However, there was no writing about the social structure of dragon communities, to her knowledge.

They sat in silence until the others returned.

 *****Okay...this is a bit late. For the next 3ish weeks, my updates might be a bit sporadic, but I don't plan on suspending updates. Don't be concerned if** ** _Chained Dragon_** **is late by a day or so.**

 **Well, Acnologia's here. We'll see how this partnership goes. For those who read** ** _Chained Dragon_** **as well, this is a very different take on Acnologia. Let me know what you think.*****


	9. Chapter 8

**Chapter Eight:**

After Laxus and Sting had taken their seats, with Freed and Rufus standing behind them, Laxus said: "We have chosen to accept your terms. Protection and education in exchange for non-interference and healing. To ensure that all parties follow the agreement, we will follow the formal rules. Rufus and Freed, as well as one of our mages who has done a lot of work with the Magic Council, will draw up a contract. Tonight we will sign it publically, and a witness from the Magic Council will be present."

"I would have the old ways," Acnologia said firmly. "You may have your contract, but I will have the old ways, since we have the Maiden of the Stars present to officiate."

"What are you referring to?" Freed asked cautiously, exchanging glances with Freed. "We are not familiar with the methods you propose."

Acnologia shook his head. "I choose bread and salt, sealed by the blood of the heavens."

"Explain." Laxus gritted out, and Lucy saw that the suggestion that _her_ blood be used was beginning to push him to rage again.

"I shall," a voice said, and Lucy was surprised to find that Loke had passed through his gate. She thought that she had kept him from breaking through, but apparently she was wrong.

Taking a look at him though, she realized that she hadn't seen him look this serious since she had fought Capricorn on Tenrou Island. Fear gripped her heart as she realized that this could only mean another topic of Celestial Magic that she hadn't been taught. _Please, not another one of my friends!_

"Master Laxus, Master Sting," Loke said with a slight bow. "Mistress," now his bow was as deep as one Lucy would have given to Princess Hisui if she had been a man. Turning to Acnologia, he bowed, slightly deeper than the bows he had given to the two guild masters but not as deep as he had to Lucy. "Dragon King. I ask that you excuse my mistress's lack of knowledge of the old ways. Several centuries ago, it was forbidden to speak of such things to a master in order to preserve their lives."

"Zodiac Leader," Acnologia said with a nod. "It has been many centuries since I last encountered you or your kind."

"Indeed it has," Loke said, and Lucy realized that he had never been this formal with anyone, at least as far as she knew. "You wish to seal this alliance under the heavens?"

"That is my wish," the dragon slayer said. "Will you instruct your mistress in the rites?"

"My king has allowed this," Loke said quietly. "In exchange, you will not reveal more to my mistress or any of the others about Celestial magic. He will be reexamining the archives to see if any that has been sealed away can be revealed at this time. Do you accept these terms?"

"I will," Acnologia rasped standing. "Do you give your word as a member of the heavens that what you have said will be done?"

Loke nodded. "I give you my word, as Leo, leader of the zodiac gates that my mistress will be instructed in the oath-taking ritual as you have asked and that my king will examine the archives for other information that it may be safe to share with my mistress. In return, you will not share information with my mistress or any other interested party unless permitted to by my king or my brethren. If I break my word, let me be banished from the heavens as a fallen star."

"And I accept these terms," Acnologia said, grasping the hand that Loke extended to him. "Now, shall you explain before the hybrid has my head?"

"I will." Loke turned to face Lucy and the others, and she tried to catch his eye. _What was he thinking, making an oath that makes him a falling star if he breaks it?_

"The ritual that we have agreed upon is an ancient one, from when more Celestial Wizards roamed the earth," Loke began, as if he was telling a story. "It is a variant on the hospitality ritual that Mistress Lucy enacted earlier in the exchange of bread and salt. As Master Laxus's girlfriend, she was within her right to act as the 'lady of the house' and offer the Dragon King bread and salt while promising protection from harm. What the requested ritual does is takes the original ritual further. Both of the agreeing parties, Master Laxus and the Dragon King, will consume bread and salt offered by my mistress in front of a crowd of witnesses. The consumption signifies the offering of protection and whatever the terms of the oath are."

"What about the blood?" Laxus growled, glaring at the lion spirit. "You know how much she has shed for this guild already. I can't ask her for more."

"It is only six drops," Loke said calmly. "My mistress will bring forth six drops of her blood and Master Laxus and the Dragon King will each consume three. This seals the pact under the heavens, subjecting the oathbreaker to the justice of the stars. Heaven's justice is untainted by human partiality, and was the best way of ensuring that both parties stayed true to their oath in an earlier age. Since it requires a Celestial Wizard to officiate, it became rare after they began to become fewer in number."

"Is the Maiden of the Stars of the old bloodlines, Zodiac Leader?" Acnologia asked quietly, causing the other dragon slayers in the room to glare at him for interrupting.

"Yes," Loke said quietly. "She is of the old bloodlines. We have not seen one so strong since the closing of the heavens and the division of the keys."

"I thought as much. Her hair is a striking reminder."

"If you permit my boldness, I would not have thought you would remember anything but bloodlust," Loke said carefully. "When last I saw you, there was naught but destruction on your mind."

"The Black Wizard corrupts us all," Acnologia rasped. "I have not seen you since his actions forced your king to seal the heavens, despite your fervent pleas for the summoners. Tell me, has it been worth your pain over the centuries? The old lines have since failed."

"You do not know, but I was once a fallen star," Loke said softly. "But for the love of my mistress I would have faded. In her are the old lines reborn, and each and every one of us would walk through hell for her."

"I see," the dragon slayer rasped. "No wonder your king will reopen the archives. Who will instruct her in the ritual?"

"Capricorn and Virgo." As Loke spoke, the two spirits appeared, bowing slightly to Laxus and Sting, deeper to Acnologia, and deepest to Lucy. "Virgo will also arrange appropriate clothing for all of the dragon slayers, including yourself if you wish Dragon King."

"Her assistance would be welcome," Acnologia agreed. Turning to Laxus, he said: "We will hold the ritual tonight?"

Lucy could see Laxus biting back his frustration with the situation, but he nodded. "Freed, Rufus, collect Levy and begin the contract. Sting, if you would gather the others, including Natsu, and bring them to your office. I wish to speak with them. Loke, what does Lucy need to do?"

"We will need seclusion and quiet in order to prepare our mistress," Capricorn said formally. "Given the time, we will need the rest of the afternoon for the instruction."

Lucy nodded. "We can use my old room on the first floor," she murmured quietly, knowing that as soon as she got her spirits behind closed doors, she would be interrogating them for answers. "The runes are still up that defend and soundproof it. Nobody will bother us there."

"Very well," Laxus said with a jerky nod. "Acnologia, I ask that you remain in this room. Erza Scarlet will remain posted outside your door with orders not to let anyone enter other than Virgo, Sting, or I. We also ask that you do not leave unless it is an urgent need, for your safety. I understand that you are capable of protecting yourself, but I have no desire to break our alliance before it is sealed. Many in the guild will be uncomfortable until matters are explained, and we ask that you give them the afternoon to prepare themselves. In addition, we will provide you shelter while we are allied. More information will be forthcoming as soon as we have worked out the arrangement."

"I am in agreement," Acnologia said. "When you need to speak with me, I will be here."

"It is time we departed, mistress." Capricorn said, bowing slightly to Lucy. "There is much to discuss and prepare for this evening."

"If that is the case, I will take my leave." Standing, Lucy inclined her head to Laxus and Sting, taking cues from how her spirits were behaving, and bowed slightly to Acnologia. "If I may be excused, Master Laxus?"

"As you wish," he gritted out, and Lucy wished that she could comfort him. Her nerves were on edge about this, and from what Acnologia had said, the dragon slayer's presence near Lucy was causing her boyfriend even more anxiety. But from what she had been observing, there was no way that she could relax her formality until they had returned to the house, away from their new ally.

* * *

Sitting at the table placed on the stage, above the rest of the gathered guild members, Lucy toyed with her fork. She was certain that the food was excellent, seeing as how Kinana and Mira had slaved away in the kitchens for the entire afternoon, with some help from other guild members, but she simply had no appetite. The ritual, which was to take place when the food was finished, was occupying her mind.

A nudge against her side brought her eyes to Sting, who was sitting next to her. "You should try and eat more. Wendy keeps looking down the table and making a face when she sees how much food is still on your plate."

"I'm trying," she said listlessly, knowing that he was right, but knowing that she wouldn't be able to stomach much more than she had already eaten.

Sting sighed, and quickly moved some of the food from her plate to his. "There. Now Wendy won't look as if she's about to come over here and start force feeding you. But you should still keep trying to eat."

"I will," Lucy promised absentmindedly, lifting a forkful to her mouth obediently as she looked back out over the crowd. Natsu was pinned between Erik and Gajeel at the end of one of the nearest tables, looking mutinous. Freed had told her quietly during the first part of the meal that the older two dragon slayers had indulged him in a fight that afternoon, trying to work some of the excess energy out of his system, but it didn't seem to be doing much good.

Erza, on the other side of Freed, was glaring down at the fire dragon slayer, as if daring him to cause trouble. Every so often she would glare in the direction of Grey, safely ensconced with the former Crime Sorciere members, minus Erik, and as far from Natsu as possible. Although, the presence of Jellal at that table might explain the redhead's fascination.

Eventually Laxus caught her eye and nodded, and Lucy sighed in relief. Politely excusing herself to Sting and Freed, she slipped away from the table, knowing that the two chosen to be her attendants would come find her as soon as she was outside.

The cool autumn air was refreshing on her flushed face, and Lucy found herself breathing deep and slipping into the meditative trance that Capricorn had drilled into her. _Not too deep_ , she reminded herself, listening for the sound of footsteps. _Just enough to calm yourself and feel your magic_.

Hearing the footsteps she had been waiting for, Lucy opened her eyes and saw Erik and Jellal approaching. When Capricorn had given her the list of appropriate attendants for the ritual, she had been surprised at how few people fit the strict criteria her spirit had laid out. But in terms of her safety, these two were the best. Erik could hear trouble before it got to her, and Jellal was a powerful opponent in his own right. Add to that his political clout and Erik's status as a dragon slayer…it was a good combination. When she had picked them, she had been worried that Erik would be needed with Natsu, but according to Capricorn, the poison dragon slayer had declared that Gajeel could just bolt the fire dragon slayer to his seat and be done with the matter if it was needed.

Jellal's steps faltered for a moment, and Lucy met his eyes. "I look like her, don't I?" she whispered, fingering the hood of her cloak. Capricorn and Virgo had insisted upon it, saying that she ought to hide her ritual clothes for as long as possible, but all it made her think of was her future self, taking the attack meant for her. Clenching her hands, she checked her guild mark, just to make sure that it was still in place.

"The future changed," Jellal whispered sadly, touching her guild mark. "She would be happy that you're happy."

"Come on, Night Sky, let's get you ready." Erik gently pushed her hood back and waited for Lucy to unfasten the cloak. It was beautiful, a deep midnight blue with gold trim, and Lucy wanted to ask Virgo to let her keep it if at all possible. At the same time, Jellal knelt down and undid her sandal straps, pulling them gently away as she lifted her feet. A shiver ran through her as the bare bottoms of her feet hit the cool stone, but Lucy pushed it away. There were other things to think about. Like how her outfit, dark blue with gold detailing like her cloak, consisted of little more than a bandeau top and a skirt that was slit rather high. It was like the outfit that she had worn at Cait Shelter, and three years ago, she would have worn it without complaint. But that was three years ago before the scars, before Aquarius's mark…Capricorn and Virgo told her that she wasn't allowed to wear any type of makeup that night, and now she stood before Erik and Jellal with all her scars bare for them to see. Not even the thin gold and sapphire circlet or the attached gauzy blue veil hid a single scar from view. The choker around her neck was a mesh of small gold circlets, and if you looked, you could see the scars underneath it. The same with the bracelets around her ankles. Even the ribbons tied around her wrists did nothing to hide the scars there.

"Are you ready?" Jellal asked, and Lucy felt like screaming and running away, back to the safety of Laxus's house where nobody could see her scars. Three years, and the only people who had seen her body like this were Mira, Wendy, Kinana, Meredy, and Laxus. Now, everyone was going to see.

"I'm ready," she murmured, tipping her chin up and ignoring the arm he offered her. "But I'm not an ornament here to serve their needs. I am Lucy Heartfilia, Celestial Wizard, and they have come to _me_ , to ask a favor of _me_. Without me, they have nothing." Touching Aquarius's key where it hung on a special chain around her hips with the other keys Lucy was contracted to, like bangles on a dancer's skirt, Lucy gathered her courage and moved towards the doors, feeling Erik's hand briefly on her shoulder, a silent sign of support. She knew he would understand her need to control the situation, even a tiny bit.

Stopping at the main doors to the guild hall, Lucy nodded at Jellal to knock. Waiting for Erik to signal that Laxus had given his permission Lucy closed her eyes and centered herself, waiting for the doors to open. As they did, she moved forward, head high, and feet padding softly across the worn wooden floors of her guild, cleaned especially for her that day. Her eyes focused on where Laxus sat, Acnologia next to him, and she tuned out the sounds of her guild mates and Sabertooth discussing her scarred and tattooed appearance. It was unimportant to her at the moment.

Reaching the stage, she looked imperiously at the two dragon slayers. "Who comes before the Maiden of the Stars? For what reason have you brought me here?"

"We come to bind an oath," Laxus responded, someone obviously having tutored him in the correct response. "We ask for your witness and your connection to the heavens."

"And have you bound your oath in the manner of those that walk the earth?" Lucy asked, using the phrase Capricorn had adapted for the purpose of today's ceremony. She could hear him in her mind as her hand rested lightly on his key, talking her through each of the steps of the process.

"We have," Laxus said, producing the written contract. "We come before you, representative of the heavens, to bind our oath before the stars."

Lucy nodded, and motioned for Jellal to come forward. In his hands was a small platter, bearing a single, small loaf of bread and a salt cellar. Looking at the two dragon slayers, she said: "Come, stand before the petitioner of the stars and be bound." Quietly, they moved away from the table, coming to stand before her. Around her, Lucy knew that the members of Fairy Tail and Sabertooth were doing everything they could to get a better view, but she had eyes for nothing but the two men in front of her. As they stood before her, she picked up the bread and tore it in half. Setting each half on the platter, she sprinkled salt on the torn ends before picking them up and turning back to the men before her.

"Name yourselves before the heavens," she commanded.

"I am Laxus Dreyar, Master of the Fairy Tail Mage guild and second generation dragon slayer."

"I am Acnologia, Dragon King, and dragon slayer."

Handing each of them half of the bread, Lucy said: "Through eating of the bread and salt, you pledge protection from danger, shelter from the elements, healing from injury. You pledge a common enemy and shared knowledge. Do you so pledge?"

"I do so pledge," Laxus intoned.

"I do so pledge," Acnologia rasped in response, and they bit into the bread.

For their part Acnologia and Laxus took eating the salty bread relatively well, with only slight grimaces. When they had each swallowed their bite, Lucy took the bread back and placed it on the platter Jellal still bore. Then she turned to Erik, knowing that this was the part of the ritual that would cause the most outrage. He offered her the dagger that Capricorn had outfitted him with handle first, still in its sheath, and she withdrew it carefully, admiring the craftsmanship. Turning back to her supplicants, Lucy shifted the dagger so that the blade lay across her bare palms. She saw Laxus stiffen minutely, but narrowed her eyes at him to remind him that they couldn't back out now.

"By the customs of earth has your oath been bound. Now I bind your oath by the customs of the stars. As one who calls upon the stars, by my blood I bind you to your oath. To break an oath so bound means to suffer the justice of the heavens, which knows not mercy nor forgiveness. Do you so pledge the same as you pledged by the customs of earth?"

Laxus's eyes bored into her as he repeated the ritual agreement, and Acnologia followed suit. Steeling herself, Lucy closed her hands around the dagger, feeling the skin on each palm part under the keen blade. Ignoring the sting, she offered the dagger to Erik, and then presented her palms to the dragon slayers.

Bending over her right palm, Laxus squeezed gently, lapping lightly in order to obtain the required three drops of blood. In contrast, Lucy felt Acnologia's sharp canines, a trait she was familiar with after years of friendship with dragon slayers, scraping delicately across her palm, and he showed little tenderness as he drank the drops of blood that he was required to. As the dragon withdrew, she saw him discreetly wipe a speck of blood from his lips, eyes dark with some emotion that she wasn't able to read.

Apparently in some forms of the ritual, the Celestial Wizard had offered the required blood in some sort of vessel, but the purest form of the ritual was for the oath to be sealed by direct consumption. Lucy ignored her lightly bleeding hands as she turned to face the assembled guild members, who seemed struck dumb by the sight of the two dragon slayers consuming her blood.

"Witnesses, you have seen these men seal their oaths in the fashion of the earth and under the justice of the stars. If this oath be broken, hold them to the justice of the earth, for the stars need no guidance in exacting the justice of the heavens. By these ribbons I declare them bound by the oaths they have sworn!" Turning back to the dragon slayers, Lucy undid the ribbons tied around her wrists, knowing that blood would stain the fabric, and carefully tied one around each wrist, the gold satin shining against their black tunics.

Acnologia and Laxus shook hands briefly before Laxus called for the end of the formal part of the evening and asked for help moving the tables so that the dancing could begin. It was what they had told the others would be happening: a formal contract signing and dance to follow, something to liven up the gloomy atmosphere that had persisted since Sabertooth had arrived.

For her part, Lucy withdrew to a corner of the guild hall, watching as couples slowly entered the dance floor. Erik and Jellal went with her, Jellal keeping away people who wanted to speak with her, and Erik seating her gently on a stool and pulling out a small pouch from the belt of his tunic. "Come on Night Sky, let's get you all wrapped up."

Wendy had wanted to heal her cuts after the ceremony was over, Capricorn had told her, but they had to heal naturally or the oath would be invalidated. So Erik had been equipped with bandages and a salve, and he reached for her hand. "You did well. Not even a flinch when Natsu almost broke the table."

"Natsu almost broke a table?" At the poison dragon slayer's words, Lucy's head snapped up, her eyes searching the gathered mages and realizing that she didn't see the salmon haired fire dragon slayer.

"Yeah, when he smelled your blood. Gajeel had to literally sit on him, and Rogue pinned him with his shadows as well. Oh, and Juvia was almost called in to put him in a water lock to keep him from setting the place on fire." Erik talked easily as he rubbed the salve gently into the sluggishly bleeding cuts. "Although, I didn't hear too much from you when we were in the thick of it."

"It was kind of blurry, everything happening outside of the ritual. I was so focused…" Lucy murmured, watching him wrap the bandage around her right hand. "What did you hear?"

Erik studied her briefly before moving to her left hand. "His soul is odd…like it's been fragmented. I can't get a good reading off of it because there's two competing forces…I assume that's the dragon and the human."

"And other dragon slayers? Do you hear that dissonance in their souls?" Lucy asked watching the dancers twirl on the floor. Laxus was leaning against the bar, and Acnologia stood nearby, close enough so that they could reach each other if one turned on the other. Natsu was nowhere to be found, and neither was Gajeel, but Sting and Rogue were both talking with Rufus and Minerva, with Orga hovering in the background.

"No," Erik said softly. "Well, mostly not. Rogue's soul sounds like it's splitting, but I don't hear the dragon part like I do with Acnologia. And occasionally…Laxus sounds a bit more draconic…"

"It's the dragonification process," Lucy whispered. "The more either of you use your dragon slayer magic, the closer you get to becoming like him."

"Is he going to teach us how to stop it?" Erik hissed, and Lucy heard panic in his voice, the ferocity of it taking her by surprise. But as she saw his eyes dart to Kinana, who was dancing with Freed, she understood. Their relationship, while slow to start and fraught with potential pitfalls based on Kinana's spotty memory of her life before Fairy Tail, was something Erik held dear, over loyalty to the guild, to his best friends and self-made family…Kinana was his everything. He had lost her once, and would not lose her again.

"That's part of the knowledge he offered to share," Lucy said quietly. "But he's only doing it because he doesn't feel like subduing either of you if you become dragons; whatever that means."

Erik grimaced and finished tying off her bandage. "He better give us the right information," he threatened lowly. "Just because we have a truce doesn't mean I'm not going to be watching him for any stray moves in the wrong direction."

Lucy laughed lightly. "I know you will, and so will everyone else. Thanks for taking care of my hands, but go dance with your lady before some other guy whisks her away."

Letting go of her hands, Erik stood. "I don't think that's going to be an issue," he said with a smirk. "My girl's waited for me for over eight years. She's not going to give up for any guy off the streets with a pretty line."

"Take blue, tattooed and handsome with you and see if you can't find a sword-wielding redhead to set him up with, won't you?" Lucy called as he moved away, snickering as Jellal flinched at her words, but allowed Erik to drag him towards where Erza stood, beautiful and dangerous in her eveningwear.

Lucy watched the dancers twirl and cavort, knowing that the only person she wanted to dance with was Laxus, and he wouldn't dance and risk leaving Acnologia unsupervised. So she sat in her corner, wondering what Erik and Jellal had done with her cloak and shoes, and listened absently to the music.

Eventually Wendy wandered over, a scowl on her face and a sleepy Asuka clinging to her hand. Scooping up Asuka and letting the child curl up in her lap, Lucy watched as Wendy dropped down beside her in a huff, fussing irritably with the dress she had been coerced into wearing.

"Aren't you going to dance?" the blonde asked, wondering what was eating at the girl who she thought of as a sister.

Wendy shook her head. "I'm apparently _too young to dance_ ," she growled in frustration, glaring out at the couples on the dance floor. "So I'm spending my time with the children like I'm supposed to."

"But I'm sure Romeo would dance with you if you wanted?" Lucy said, confused as to why the younger boy would say such a thing. Everybody knew that Macao's son had a crush on Wendy, especially after the time skip made their age difference irrelevant.

"He did," Wendy said sadly. "But I didn't want to dance with him."

Things were becoming clearer, especially as Wendy threw a frustrated glance over to where Mest stood next to Freed and Rufus, his Magic Council uniform a beacon in a room full of troublemakers. Thinking about it, Lucy realized that the bluenette next to her had shown signs of interest in the man. Her correspondence with him, Mest coming to Fairy Tail to celebrate Christmas…thinking back to what Acnologia had let slip that afternoon about dragon slayers and mates, she wondered if Wendy was at the age where she was drawn to potential suitors. It might explain why she ignored Romeo, who was a perfectly good option and she had been sweet on for a short while before she spent time with Mest, and now focused almost unilaterally on the council member.

"Those seven years on Tenrou hurt you most of all?" Lucy murmured, knowing that if the blunette hadn't missed the seven years, she wouldn't face the age barriers that stood before her. "We should have asked Mest to take you off the island when he had the chance."

"No!" Wendy cried, almost waking up Asuka, who shifted in Lucy's lap. "I wouldn't have wanted to leave you. He would have had to knock me out to get me off that island."

 _It may not have been that hard,_ Lucy thought privately, remembering how exhausted the girl had been after healing the entire guild. She had looked ready to fall over before the dragon had arrived, and to this day, Lucy still wondered where the attacks that the girl had used against Acnologia had come from. "Sometimes we have to leave behind people that we love. It's the only way to keep moving forward." The words burned in her throat as she thought of Aquarius and winced as she heard how callous they sounded.

"Lucy-nee, what happened to Aquarius?" Wendy asked sharply, and Lucy recoiled as if stung. Only Laxus, the Raijinshu, and Yukino knew the truth behind Aquarius's sacrifice. "I've wondered why you had a tattoo of her symbol on you collarbone, but never felt comfortable asking."

"I failed her," Lucy said flatly, fingering the broken key hanging around her hips. From the others she could feel love and support, and it helped her keep her tone balanced as she continued: "During Tartarus, when everyone was trapped in the Cube thing, I fought three of the demons. I had to summon three spirits, and Aquarius had me summon the Spirit King by breaking her key. As a result, he freed everyone, and when Jackal appeared before me again, he gave me Aquarius's power to protect myself. I'll bear her symbol for the rest of my life, a reminder of what I have done."

Wendy leaned against Lucy's side, her warmth comforting. "I don't think Aquarius would have been angry with you. Actually, when she was here for the two year celebration, I thought she seemed rather proud of you."

Lucy's head snapped down, and she stared at the youngest dragon slayer with wide eyes. "You knew who she was?"

With a shrug, the blunette said: "I know Laxus and Erik knew, because Erik knows everything and Laxus was shocked to see her. Rogue knew something was up but if he asked someone, it wasn't in the guild. Sting…well, if he noticed, he didn't think much of it. Gajeel knew that you guys were awfully quiet about why Aquarius was here, but he didn't want to ask, since he was there that day…"

Sighing, Lucy stroked Asuka's hair as she looked out over the dancers. "Laxus knows because he read my notes from when I was contracted. Erik knows because he's Erik. Rogue would have asked Yukino, Gajeel may have heard from Levy, and Sting and Natsu have no clue."

"It's nothing to be ashamed of," Wendy murmured, and Lucy saw that the girl was watching Mest again. "You and Aquarius should be hailed as heroes for what you did."

"I know," Lucy sighed. "But I don't want anyone to know. It's personal to me. I saw how all of you were treated afterwards, like tragic heroes because of your loss, and as much as I wanted to share the burden, I didn't want her to be written off as just another casualty."

"She was your mother," Wendy interrupted with a nod. "Just like Grandeena was my mother, and the other dragons were fathers. And we weren't allowed to mourn them privately because they were public losses. I understand Lucy, I really do."

"I know," Lucy whispered, holding Asuka, Wendy, and Carla close. "I know. And I remind myself every day that passes that my choice wouldn't have changed, that she still would have offered me that solution…but the magic in my veins reminds me that she's gone, and it hurts. But for her sake, I'll keep moving forward, keep honoring her memory by continuing to protect what she gave her freedom for. That's all any of us can do."

* * *

Looking out over the crowd of faeries and tigers, Laxus was on high alert. Tension thrummed in the air like a heartbeat, and he was standing next to the source. For a month the tension had been building, to the point where it was nearly palpable. While Sabertooth thirsted for vengeance, Fairy Tail was angry and afraid. Each time they had crossed paths with Acnologia, Fairy Tail had lost. First the seven year disappearance, and then the battle with Tartarus and Igneel's death... Fairy Tail was right to be wary of the dragon slayer, but personally he felt that it was better to be wary of what the dragon slayer's presence suggested.

 _War_. Laxus reminded himself. _The destruction of the world._ He would be damned if Fairy Tail didn't do everything possible to prevent it. Even allying themselves with the dragon of the apocalypse.

Erik hadn't been able to give him a clear picture of the dragon's soul. Apparently it was fragmented, and conflicting, even for the soul reading expert.

 _Can't you see?_ The lightning dragon slayer wanted to shout as he looked out over the guild members assembled before him. _Can't you see that I'm only trying to save all of our lives?_

Yet he couldn't blame the others. Unless you had sat in his office and heard the words the dragon had spoken, it was impossible to understand the threat looming over their heads. Tomorrow he would plan, and scheme, but for tonight, he had to survive with the peace contract intact. Smelling Lucy's blood, and knowing Acnologia was responsible for it, had nearly sent him into a frenzy. His draconic side was getting harder and harder to control, and Acnologia seemed to be the only way to learn how to tame it. Erik had confided to him that he felt the same way at times, and the fear that he would lose control over the dragon part of him was the only thing from proposing to Kinana. Laxus could understand the feeling of not wanting to hurt the one you loved, not wanting to have the guilt of their pain on your conscious…even now he wasn't sure if his decisions today would do more harm than good, but he had to keep her safe. Lucy had almost been lost too many times for him to risk it again.

"It's time we left," he murmured, knowing that Acnologia would hear him, even over the music and muted conversations held between the various members of the guilds occupying the hall. "I'd prefer to get Lucy out of the way if the others decide that you're not worth keeping around, despite the ritual we just did."

"The son of Igneel seems to have retained the immaturity of a fledgling," Acnologia growled, tugging at the cape that covered his missing arm. "He should settle with a proper Alpha though."

"Tomorrow you will stop talking in riddles and start explaining things. You've given the books to Porlyusica and Wendy; teach Erik and me while they work on figuring out how to get you the arm back."

With a shrug Acnologia turned towards the door. "If that's what you wish. It appears the Maiden of the Stars approaches."

Laxus turned to look, and Lucy was indeed being escorted through the crowds by Erik and Jellal, the rest of the former Crime Sorciere and Kinana following close behind. Porlyusica had disappeared as soon as everyone was released from the tables, and he had no doubt that the only grandmother figure he had ever known had locked herself in his spare room. Once the group had reached him, Lucy wearing the midnight blue cloak again, he lead them through the thinning crowd to the doors. His instincts were screaming for him to take Lucy away from the other dragon slayer had hide her where nobody else could find her, but his duty to the guild and knowledge that Lucy would fight him the entire time kept him in place.

"Ready to go home?" she asked softly, with a tired smile. He could hear the whispers that followed her, and knew that his girlfriend could feel the stares. She had never exposed her skin like this since before the guild disbanded. Not since she obtained Aquarius's mark, displayed across her collarbone for all to see tonight. The whispers hadn't stopped since she had made her dramatic entrance, and he knew that the guild would still be abuzz tomorrow. Lucy's unwillingness to reveal her skin had been a point of intrigue for the guild, no matter what the two of them wished.

"Of course," he said, offering her his arm, trying not to growl as he remembered Acnologia escorting her to his office earlier that day. Laxus felt the dragon slayer falling in with Crime Sorciere behind him as they moved out of the guild hall, and did his best not to tense, reminding himself that Erik would stop the dragon if he made any wrong moves.

It was a long, long, walk back to his home, and he went over his plans, plans he had spent the afternoon arguing with the others over. Now all he had to do was make sure that Lucy was okay with them. _Which is not going to be easy_.

Crime Sorciere and Kinana paused as Lucy and Laxus climbed the steps onto the porch, Acnologia following behind. "I'll see you in the morning?" Erik called, locking eyes with Laxus.

"If you don't think she deserves a break." Laxus replied, feeling Lucy's glare from where she stood next to him.

"She needs to be at her best when danger comes calling," Lucy snipped at him before turning to Erik. "Bright and early with the dawn."

The poison dragon slayer chuckled and guided Kinana towards the path leading to the cabin Crime Sorciere called home. Laxus watched them go for a moment before turning back to the matters at hand.

Rummaging in his tunic pocket, he found the house key and unlocked the door, ushering Lucy in before holding the door for Acnologia. Belatedly, he wondered if he would need to do the bread and salt ritual again, but going over the words of the oath he had sworn, his hand stinging slightly as he shucked off his boots in the entryway, Laxus figured that it was safe enough to go without.

"Lucy," he called softly, knowing that he had slipped into his commanding tone that usually only appeared when the guild was about to blow something up. "Go to your room and pack whatever you think you'll need for the next week or so. Move it into my room and wait there for me."

To his relief, the blonde simply nodded and ghosted down the hallway towards the bedrooms, looking for all intents and purposes like a spirit, her cloak and veil trailing behind her on some invisible breeze.

"The Maiden of the Stars is indeed lovely, is she not?" Acnologia's rasping voice broke him out of his stupor. "A prize for any slayer bold enough to claim her. Do you plan on doing so tonight then?"

Immediately, Laxus's irritation was back. "She is not a prize to be claimed," he snarled, voice low enough that Lucy wouldn't hear. "Lucy Heartfilia makes her own decisions, and woe comes upon anyone foolish enough to try and tame her."

"You know nothing of dragons," Acnologia said idly. "If you did, you would understand the danger she is in, even within your own guild."

"Nobody in Fairy Tail would ever hurt her," Laxus snapped. "And even if someone did, she is perfectly able to take care of herself."

"Yet you have gathered seven dragon slayers around her," returned Acnologia patiently. "Only one of those has mated. The Maiden of the Stars is an alpha female. Any of the remaining six dragon slayers could claim her and they would practically have the position of alpha given to them because she is such a strong force. She tells me that you are courting her, but she bears no mate mark, leaving her vulnerable. What will you do if another slayer places their mark on her before you do?"

"None of them would dare," Laxus snarled, fighting to keep his magic under control. "All of them know what she means to me."

"Consider your own fight against your inner dragon," Acnologia snapped. "Can you honestly say that a day will not come where you cannot stop, where you claim her regardless of what desires either of you may have?"

His words struck a chord with Laxus as he remembered the night Sabertooth came to them, how close he had been to the dragon inside him, how hard it was to pull away, to not push Lucy past what she could handle… "For her, I'll do anything," he murmured, but at the same time, he had tasted the heady power possessed by his dragon side, and knew that if it wanted something, he would be powerless to stop it from doing whatever it took…

Acnologia snorted. "You are attracted to her, and the Maiden of the Stars is attracted to you. Now that you have invited her into your bed, it will only be so long before you claim her as your own. In fact, it will be necessary in the end, unless you want to become as I have."

"What about Erik then?" Laxus asked, a jolt of alarm running through his system. "What will happen to him if I… _claim_ …Lucy?" He had grown fond of the poison dragon slayer, finding the dry humor amusing compared to the idiots at the guild…he and Lucy were practically siblings, having bonded through Lucy's subtle machinations to pair Erik with Kinana through Lucy's slow recovery.

"The snake will have his own mate," Acnologia sighed in annoyance. "You will not need to share your mate."

Laxus wanted to ask more questions, but Lucy had stopped moving about, signifying that she was in his room for the night. "Come with me, and I'll show you where you're staying. We'll discuss this more tomorrow, with the others."

Acnologia shrugged, but the dragon slayer followed him silently through the house. Opening the door to Lucy's room, Laxus checked to make sure the blonde wasn't inside before stepping out of the way to let the dragon enter. "You'll stay here. The bathroom is through that door over there. Lucy likely left some of her belongings here, but she's known to injure idiots who are stupid enough to go through her drawers."

The dragon chuckled, but shut the door. Laxus waited for a moment until he heard him moving through the room, and then moved across the hall to his room.

If he had been paying attention, he might have remembered that Lucy was in his room and likely changing. As it was, he walked in, took one look at her apparel, and forced himself back towards the door.

Lucy looked up with a smile and beckoned him in. "Don't be silly, I need your help. Come sit on the edge of the bed."

Realizing what Acnologia meant about the draconic urges growing stronger, Laxus sucked in a breath and followed her command, trying to ignore the fact that she was in a bandeau top and tiny black spandex shorts, her skirt and cloak draped over his chair. As soon as he was sitting on the bed, Lucy positioned herself between his legs and put his hands on her head. "I need you to take out the pins in my hair," she murmured quietly. "Cancer used so many and I can't seem to get them out."

Tamping down the knowledge of what his dragon side would push him to do in this situation, Laxus let his hands drift over the veil in her hair, pulling out the pins he found securing it and eventually tugged it free, revealing a mass of intricate braids tied into a knot. With a sigh, he settled in to picking pin after pin out of her hair.

What felt like four hundred pins later, Lucy's hair cascaded around her shoulders, wavy from being restrained throughout the evening. Laxus continued to card through her hair as she slumped back into him, completely relaxed. Eventually, his fingers switched to massaging her scalp, then her neck, then her shoulders.

When his fingers ceased moving, Lucy cracked an eye and tilted her head up towards him. "You've ruined me," she mumbled with a shy smile. "Now that I know you can give massages like that, I'm never suffering through post-training soreness again."

He laughed, and then bit back a groan as she pulled herself up onto his lap. "You ready for bed?" she asked, snuggling into his chest.

"I've got to change out of this," Laxus murmured, gesturing at the tunic he had been given for the ceremony. "But you go ahead and get settled first. I'll be back in a minute."

Turning, he let Lucy slither bonelessly onto the bed next to him before standing and heading for the bathroom. By the time he came back, his girlfriend was curled under the covers, sound asleep.

Sliding in next to her, Laxus felt the dragon inside him rearing its head, but he tamped it down. Lucy was the one who set the boundaries, not him. He would wait for her, no matter what Acnologia and his inner dragon said.

 *****Well, sorry this was late. I've been busy lately, and missed posting it yesterday.**

 **I may be a bit delayed with the next few chapters for...everything. With this especially, I'm not happy with the chapters that follow, so now that I have some time, I'm going to sit down and take a good hard look at what I have written and figure out what I want to keep/change/burn...**

 **The good news is that beta bullied me into writing the penultimate chapter of** ** _Raise Your Glass_** **, and she wrote the last chapter. Look for those up soon.*****


	10. Chapter 9

**Chapter Nine:**

When he woke in the morning, he was alarmed by the empty place in his bed. The warmth had mostly dissipated, and her scent, while stronger than usual in his room, was still at least an hour old. Throwing back the covers, he reached for the tee shirt he had left on the floor the night before, straining his senses to check on the people in the house.

 _Porlyusica is still locked in her room, per usual. Acnologia's not in his…someone's in the kitchen. Two someone's. Erik's here. And…Lucy. She's with him._ Relaxing slightly, Laxus made his way to the kitchen, realizing that the poison dragon slayer had likely come to continue Lucy's training routine, and someone had decided to let him sleep.

As he had heard, Lucy and Erik were in the kitchen, Erik sitting at the island talking quietly with Lucy as she worked on breakfast for them. When he entered, the blonde looked up at him with a smile. "Morning sleepy," she teased lightly. "You looked so peaceful that I couldn't bear to wake you when Horologium woke me. So Erik and I just continued on what we've been doing."

"Leave a note next time," Laxus muttered, taking the seat next to Erik. "I was worried when I woke and didn't know where you were."

"Not a problem," Lucy said, putting a glass of juice in front of him and brushing a kiss on his cheek. "Breakfast will be ready in five minutes or so."

"Where's our visitor?" Laxus asked Erik quietly as Lucy turned back to the stove.

"Outside, behind the house," the other dragon slayer replied, taking a sip of his bleach. "From what I can tell, he's meditating."

"Have you gotten a good read on him?" he said, trying to catch a glimpse of the dragon slayer through the kitchen window. "You said it was difficult when we spoke yesterday."

Erik shrugged, accepting the plate Lucy handed him. "I don't think it's possible to get a better idea of what's going on with him. His soul literally sounds as if it's been split into two pieces, one of them draconic and one of them human. It's relatively impossible to make sense of the draconic bit; being both human and not human is preventing me from understanding anything I hear. The human part…it's ancient. Which makes things a bit tricky, seeing as how I can't really understand some of the concepts he's pondering. But I can tell you this. At the moment, he wants to kill Zeref more than he wants to kill us, and he abides by a code of honor that will keep him from violating the oaths you swore. But that means as soon as Zeref is gone, or as soon as one of us violates the oath, all bets are off. He's also…he seems to know a fair bit about Celestial mages and other lost magic. Personally, I think we ought to figure out how much we can get him to share, which should help us."

Taking his own plate from Lucy, Laxus sighed. "So basically, he's put himself on a leash, but as soon as everything's over, the leash is gone and we'll be at war with him again. And this happens as soon as Zeref's gone, so who knows what shape we'll be in."

"You've got the gist of it," Erik said as Lucy sat down next to Laxus with her own plate. "Lucy, you're having a midterm exam today, so keep that in mind."

"Midterm?" she asked quizzically, raising her eyebrow. "Should I pack my pen and pencil?"

Laxus chuckled, but he wanted to know what the poison dragon slayer had in mind. Obviously things had changed with the arrival of Acnologia, and Erik was stepping up Lucy's training. If war was on the horizon, and Lucy was in the middle of it, she needed to be able to survive.

"Gajeel and I talked yesterday, and it's time to test you in a real fight. You'll fight the two of us at the guild when we get there, and we'll see how far you've come since we started."

Lucy nodded, and glanced at her food. "If that's the case, I think I've eaten enough to keep from fainting, but I'm going to pass on finishing this and grab an apple."

As she shoved her plate over towards Laxus and reached for the bowl of apples, Erik said: "Bring whatever you think you'll need for a fight."

"Yessir," Lucy said with a sarcastic salute, taking her apple with her as she headed out of the kitchen. "That means you two are doing the dishes."

"Fine," Laxus called, before turning to Erik. "What exactly does this test entail?"

The poison dragon slayer met his gaze steadily. "We plan to go at her planning to kill. It's the only way to see how she'll fare. We don't know how powerful Zeref is, but if she can hold her own against two dragon slayers aiming for blood, she'll at least be able to get herself out of there if something ever happens."

Closing his eyes, Laxus fought his instincts, which were screaming at him to eliminate this new danger to his mate. When he had calmed them sufficiently, he opened his eyes again. "Fine," he gritted out. "You can do it. But I'm not responsible if I jump in to protect her at any given point. And I want the guild on high alert. No visitors, no patrols. If you're going to push her to her limits, she's going to be vulnerable, and if we lose her…"

Nodding, Erik looked as if he was about to say something, but he stiffened. Laxus heard the footsteps in the hallway, and soon caught the unfamiliar scent of Acnologia. The dragon slayer entered the kitchen and met the gaze of both slayers seated at the island. "If you would wish it, I will spend my day guarding the Maiden of the Stars."

Fighting back the urge to snap at the ancient dragon slayer, Laxus nodded tightly. "Since I am not likely to move from her side after this fight, we can begin our discussions then."

"I'll call ahead and tell Gajeel that we're good to go then," Erik murmured, pushing away from the island. "Lucy's almost ready to leave if we're ready."

"Delay for an hour after we get to the guild," Laxus ordered, already listing the things that he had to prepare. _I need to talk to Freed, then start calling the others…_

"I'm all set," Lucy said, coming back into the kitchen. "Acnologia, would you like food before we leave, or will you eat at the guild?"

The dragon shook his head. "I will be fine eating at the guild. No need to trouble yourself, Celestial Maiden."

Laxus glanced at the dishes on the counter and shrugged. "We'll rinse them now and wash them later on when we get back, I promise." Erik grabbed the plates they had used before rinsing them and leaving them in the sink, along with the breakfast dishes Lucy had already cleaned.

* * *

In the locker room at the guild, Lucy studied her reflection, slipping into the breathing patterns Capricorn had drilled into her. Erik had told her that he and Gajeel were testing her today, but nothing else. Just that she should be prepared for anything. So she had chosen shorts and a sports bra, knowing that the clothing she had been wearing to cover her scars would only be a liability. But it was still difficult to walk out into the guild hall with her scars uncovered after two years of covering up so that nobody saw. Even though everyone had gotten an idea of how scarred she was last night…

Sucking in a breath, and gathering her courage, Lucy spun on her heel and stalked out the door, her duffle bag of extras slung over her shoulder. Just because she had chosen shorts and a sports bra for her wardrobe at the moment didn't mean she wasn't going to change her mind later.

However, before she could get to the doors leading to the outdoor training area, a familiar form stopped her.

"Luce," Natsu began quietly. "What happened to you?"

Around her, Lucy knew the members of Fairy Tail and Sabertooth were quieting, wanting to hear the story. Even among Fairy Tail members, the number who knew in full what Lucy had gone through to cause the scars that littered her body were few, and not willing to talk. It had created something of a mystery, but nobody had been bold enough to ask her since she returned to the guild. Except for Natsu.

"I went on missions," she said softly, knowing that his dragon enhanced hearing would pick up her words. "You don't always come out of them undamaged."

"But Wendy's great at healing!" Natsu exclaimed, and Lucy closed her eyes, wishing that he had just stayed away.

"Wendy was _gone_ Natsu. I had to fend for myself most of the time. I'm not great at healing big stuff."

"Why didn't you just go back to easier jobs then?" the fire dragon slayer asked, confusion coloring his voice. "Or go find Wendy?"

"Natsu," Lucy said with a sigh. "I signed a contract. There wasn't a way to pick and choose what jobs I wanted to do. It's not like being in a guild."

"That's stupid," Natsu shook his head. "Why didn't you just leave?"

Lucy looked at him in amazement. "You mean, break my word?" _He should know me better. It was one of the first things about my magic that I explained_. "Natsu, I would have lost my keys if I had broken the contract. In order for the guild to keep its land and have the building rebuilt, as well as pay off the debt we owed, I worked for the town, doing any missions they would have given to the guilds. Because of that I had no idea how long I would have between jobs. Porlyusica helped where she could, but I had to fend for myself."

She could see him looking at her with disbelief and pity, and anger stirred within her. He obviously hadn't learned anything since he had returned, and the guild knew enough about what had happened to her that he should have been able to put the pieces together. _Then again, he is an idiot…_

"Why won't you tell me anything?" Natsu shouted. "All you do is dance around the subject without actually explaining things!"

 _Yup, he's an idiot_. Lucy studied him for a moment. She _could_ tell him everything he wanted to know. The bitterness was there, begging to be released. One part of her argued that baring her soul to him, saying everything that she needed to get off her chest would make it better. Yet she knew it wouldn't. All of the anger she had felt towards him three years ago, all of the bitterness that had built up was more toxic than anything Erik could produce. It would be easy to bring the fire dragon slayer to his knees in guilt and grief; she knew the words that would have him groveling in pieces.

"Natsu…" she began, wondering how she would end the sentence. She could feel Laxus watching her, knowing that he had always advocated for telling the fire dragon slayer exactly what his leaving had done to her. He had believed that honesty would be a good dose of medicine for Natsu. Grey had handled it with quiet dignity and sorrow, and he was just as immature as Natsu at times, just as Erza had listened and apologized, that day when they gathered in Laxus's house to settle old ghosts together. Yet Natsu hadn't approached her once when he returned. Sure, he had pestered about her relationship with Laxus, her changed living arrangements, her choice to not going on missions any more. Not once had he come to talk about the day he left. And she…she hated him just a little bit for that. Wanted to show him how it had felt.

But Natsu was just so damn _fragile_. Lucy could see it in his eyes as he looked at her, the vulnerability that had been there since Igneel died, made worse by Acnologia's arrival the night before. _If I tell him now, he could shatter_.

"Luce?" he asked, tipping his head to the side and studying her.

With a shake of her head, Lucy pushed past him. "It's hard for me to trust now," she called softly. "I was alone for so long, it's take a while to come back, and I don't like to talk about what happened. Excuse me, I'm late for training."

When she made it out to the training area, Erik snorted when he looked at her. "Go back and change," the poison dragon slayer called. "You won't last five minutes like that."

"What am I doing then?" Lucy snapped, on edge from her conversation with Natsu. "All you said was that I'm fighting you two."

"You're fighting Cobra of the Oracion Seis and Black Steel Gajeel of Phantom Lord," Erik hissed at her. "Dressed like that you're dead in three seconds flat."

"Ah," Lucy said, swallowing hard. _Fight to the death style then._ "Give me a minute then."

Thanking Virgo for her foresight, Lucy rummaged in her bag for her mission clothes. They had been a gift from her spirits when the missions the mayor gave her had gotten increasingly dangerous, and had saved her skin on numerous occasions. Shimmying into the leggings, Lucy swapped her keys onto the specially designed loop, comforted by the form fitting tailoring that Virgo had done. Grabbing her whip from the bag, she bound it against her leg where it would be easily reached before grabbing the black tank top and pulling it over her head. With a practiced shrug, her jacket slid into place, and her fingers nimbly buttoned it closed. Slipping a small knife up her sleeve, Lucy pulled on her fingerless gloves and sat to put on her boots.

When she was dressed, Erik looked her up and down with a nod. "That's better. Now, are you ready? This is a no holds barred, aiming to kill fight. To prevent spectators from getting hurt, Freed's got this place wrapped in runes. He and Rufus are refereeing, but the fight doesn't stop unless they call for it or someone's down and needs to be removed. Wendy's standing by for healing, and we've got Porlyusica at Laxus's as you know, so she's available if we need her. Do you understand?"

"Whenever you're ready," Lucy said, entering the arena and feeling Freed's runes spring up around her.

Erik grinned, and Gajeel activated not only his scales, but his shadow dragon mode as well. As Erik's sleeves started dissolving due to the poisonous vapors rising from them, Lucy realized that they had been serious when they said _aiming to kill_. As Gajeel darted towards her and Erik opened his mouth, her fingers sought out the one key on her belt that she knew they wouldn't be expecting her to be pull out.

"Open, gate of the Heavenly Scales! Libra! Gravity shift!"

As Libra's gate opened, Lucy dodged Erik's roar and let her knife drop into her hand as Gajeel dropped heavily to the ground. Erik was still moving, but significantly slower, but it wasn't him who she was targeting.

He caught her plans just as the moment to strike came, but his shouted warning to the iron dragon slayer came too late, and Gajeel had already released his scales in an attempt to lessen his weight. Yet Lucy was there, and her knife slashed once, cutting a thin line up his back as she struck before retreating and dodging Erik's roar.

Studying the poison dragon slayer, Lucy let Libra's gate close before opening three more gates. "Scorpio! Aries! Lyra!"

Scorpio and Aries appeared, and after a quick word had completely obscured the arena. Lucy spared a smirk for what the observers must be thinking before conferring with Lyra, Aries's gift in her hands.

In a matter of seconds, the arena was filled with an earsplitting pitch, and Lucy winced through the earplugs that Aries had given her. But if it was obnoxious for her, Erik and Gajeel had to be in serious pain.

Closing Scorpio's gate, she opened Gemini's and whispered their orders to them, sending the tricky twins off to cause havoc before sneaking through the dense wool that filled the arena. As she closed both Aries's gate and Lyra's simultaneously, she heard Erik give an enraged roar and sprang her trap. Opening Caelum and Sagittarius's gates as the wool cleared, she had them aim at the poison dragon slayer, who was currently staring at Kinana, kneeling in front of him with a nasty looking wound. However, Erik overcame the shock in time to avoid the arrow and magic shooting towards him, leaving Lucy with no choice but to call out Loke, closing the gates for Gemini, Sagittarius, and Caelum as she did so. Together the two of them sparred hand to hand with Erik, but neither could land a hit on him.

When she dodged an iron beam aiming for her head, wrenching her left knee terribly, Lucy knew that she had to use her trump card or risk losing. Gajeel must have metabolized the paralytic much faster than she had predicted. Closing Loke's gate, she opened Taurus's and let him rampage throughout the arena while she hid herself in Horologium, chanting the old spell she had learned from Crux, but hadn't had a chance to use due to fear of what the mayor might try. Feeling her power restored, she closed Horologium's gate and prepared herself for the heaviest summoning she had conducted since the fight against Tartarus.

"Loke, Scorpio, Capricorn!" she called, and the four spirits appeared, already in the positions she needed them to be in. With a feral grin of her own, Lucy nodded to Capricorn to begin the chant, feeling the protective bubble of power surround her.

 _Survey the Heavens, Open the Heavens..._

 _All the stars, far and wide..._

Scorpio's voice took over where Capricorn's left off.

 _Show_ _us_ _thy appearance..._

 _With such shine._

 _Oh Tetrabiblos..._

It was an old spell, lost even beyond the summoning of the Celestial Spirit King and Urano Metria had been, but Crux had taught it to her, saying that the Spirit King had wanted her to have one more powerful weapon in her arsenal, combined with Horologium's way of manipulating her power levels, so that she would never have to feel the pain of breaking a key again. As her part in the chant came, Lucy smiled and felt the magic course through her body.

 _I am the ruler of the stars..._

Together the spirits chanted:

 _And we are the children of the heavens_

Loke took up his part next, his grin cat-like as he stared down Erik and Gajeel.

 _Aspect become complete..._

 _Open thy malevolent gate._

Knowing that this was the most important moment in the chant, Lucy summoned up all of the power she had, pushing it into the spell, feeling the others do the same as magic pulsed and flashed around her.

 _Oh 88 Stars of the heaven..._

 _Shine!_

Together, their voice rose, crying out to the heavens:

 _Four Element_ _Urano Metria!_

Magic crashed and cascaded into the arena, temporarily blinding Lucy as she felt the gates close as her magic power drained. It took all of her power to summon this particular spell, which is why it was her trump card. Crumpling to the ground as her knee gave out on her, Lucy hoped that it was enough.

She knew that she was down, but she didn't know if the slayers would stop yet, As Erik came into her view, she caught a glimpse of Gajeel charging, and a desperate idea came into her head, one that she knew Laxus and the others would kill her for later. Willing Erik to let it happen, she shifted so that her knee was right under Gajeel's club-arm, knowing that it was too late for him to stop, and that the momentum would bring the heavy iron down onto her knee…

Only by her quick thought to force her wrist into her mouth did Lucy keep from screaming as her knee was shattered once again. As voices around her yelled and Gajeel drew back in astonishment of what she had done, Lucy concentrated on her breathing, trying hard to stay conscious and keep from screaming. Running feet pounded towards her, and Lucy could tell that Laxus was _not happy_ , given the static in the air.

Chancing her voice, she removed her makeshift gag and called out weakly: "That was all my idea. Don't kill Gajeel over it, but I would like to see Wendy."

In a second the youngest dragon slayer was by her side, scanning her for injuries. "Lucy, are you okay? Is it just your knee?"

"Yeah Wendy," Lucy rasped through the pain that was emanating from the shattered joint. "You know how it never healed right after Tartarus, and by the time you were able to treat it, we would have had to destroy it so you could start fresh? Well, I just did that."

"It wasn't bothering you," Wendy admonished, already healing the area. "You could have left it be and not scared all of us out of ten years of our lives."

"Wendy, it was fine in everyday use, but it almost got me killed a few times. If I'm in danger now, I need it to be fully functional. When I saw Gajeel's last attack…I figured that it was an easy way to get it to a state where you could put it back together." Lucy bit back a groan of pain, wondering if her voice was carrying to Laxus, who she could hear reaming out Gajeel and Erik somewhere nearby.

"While I admire your willingness to do what it takes to have a fully functioning knee," Wendy muttered as she worked on Lucy's leg, "I do hope you understand that the human body can only be put back together so many times without losing functionality. You're lucky that this is the only time we've had to reconstruct your knee."

"How is she?" Laxus said, kneeling beside Lucy. "Gajeel says he thought she was going to move out of the way. Erik says that she was planning this."

" _She_ can still talk," Lucy gritted as Wendy reconstructed her knee. "The godsdamned demons blew up my…knee," she spat with a grimace of pain. "With everyone hurt then…not enough to heal it fully. Doesn't bother me to…walk, but fight…can't maneuver well. Fighting with…Erik…messed me up. Porlyusica couldn't fix…needed to blow it up again."

"And you didn't say anything about this before?" Laxus demanded. "Damn it Lucy, if we had known we would have tried to figure something out."

"Like what?" the blonde gasped as Wendy did something particularly painful. "The only way to fix it was to destroy it!" She sucked in a deep breath before continuing. "You wouldn't have taken that risk. I was going to be laid up for a few days after this anyway, so I might as well get my knee fixed."

"A few days?" Laxus growled, exchanging a look with someone Lucy couldn't see. "Lucy, Wendy will have your knee fixed by the end of the day. You may need to take it easy, but you should be in top form by tomorrow morning."

"Not…my…magic," Lucy hissed as Wendy manipulated the knee. "Horologium…manipulates time…"

"So?" Laxus demanded. "What does that have to do with you being laid up?"

"Natsu…when fighting Doroma Anmu…they were out of magic…"

Wendy let out a slight gasp as she continued working on Lucy's knee. "He told us to summon up tomorrow's share…"

"You _idiot_ ," Laxus hissed. "You used Horologium to manipulate your time so that you could use tomorrow's power today?"

"It was…" Lucy panted, the pain starting to overcome her semi-meditative trance. "A gamble. But you wanted…to see my all…so I laid it all out there…my best strategy for defeating them…and it's not enough yet…"

Laxus's face contorted, anger warring with pride. "Yeah, you didn't put these two on the ground today. But you took out Gajeel, at least for a short while, and had a workable plan for Erik. If you had been fighting them for real, you would have been able to get away, and you would have survived. That's more important than putting them on the ground."

"I'm proud of you Bunny," Gajeel's voice came from over by Wendy. "I couldn't break you when I was in Phantom, but I doubt I would have come as close as I did if you were like this back then."

"Night Sky, you are one nasty piece of work," Erik said with a chuckle, squatting down next to Laxus. "I nearly keeled over seeing Kinana there, and I've worked with Gemini before. You had me on my toes the whole time, and that's what we wanted from you. We're not done with you yet, but you've come so far in a month."

"Stop," Lucy said, laughing weakly. "You're making me blush."

"They speak the truth, Celestial Maiden." Acnologia's rasp made everyone's heads turn. "I have walked on this earth for four hundred years, and have not seen a Celestial Maiden fight so strongly since the Civil War."

"Thank you," Lucy gasped as Wendy shifted her knee, which felt as if it was back in one piece. "I can't let you dragon slayers show me up, can I?"

"Your knee is in one piece," Wendy announced tiredly, and Lucy felt her hands leave her leg. "It's going to be sore for the rest of the day, and I highly recommend staying off it and taking a few painkillers. Laxus, don't let her do anything strenuous for the next three days. You know the drill Lucy, from the first time, and when you ended your contract. Don't make Porlyusica yell at you."

"She's already going to," Lucy groaned as she slowly propped herself up on her elbows. "Ugh, is it possible to get a shower?"

"Kinana and Meredy volunteered to help you," Laxus said, scooping her up gently in his arms. Nestling into him, Lucy wished that she had been allowed to crutch herself off the field, but she knew that Laxus was going to baby her for the next three days after this particular stunt. As they headed for the guild, a ragged round of applause and cheers rang out from those who had gathered to watch. Blushing, Lucy waved quickly and then sunk back into Laxus's chest.

When they reached the guild, alarmed shouts filled the air until Laxus told them to back off, that it was just a training accident. Passing her off to Kinana and Meredy, he stood guard at the door to the women's locker room while the two helped her out of her combat clothes and into the shower. By the time Lucy was clean, someone had brought Lucy's bag in from outside, and she shimmied carefully into clean clothes, glad that she had chosen loose yoga pants and a tee shirt over her usual jeans and a long sleeved shirt. Virgo appeared briefly, promising to take her bag and store it in the spirit world for the rest of the day, but made sure that Lucy had her whip and knife hanging on the belt next to her keys, just in case something happened.

Leaving the quiet of the locker room, Lucy was hit with a barrage of questions from the guild. Laxus had left guarding the door to Erza and Jellal, who were studiously _not_ looking at each other. Kinana and Meredy passed her off to the two guards before returning to the bar where the lunch rush was slowly trickling in, and Lucy was half carried over to a quiet table in the corner.

A plate of food and a bottle of painkillers were already there waiting for her, as well as Rogue, and Grey, who looked as if he was keeping an eye on the shadow dragon slayer this morning. As Erza helped her get settled, Grey smirked over at Lucy. "Just couldn't resist showing off, eh?"

Chuckling tiredly, Lucy picked up the form and started eating the salad that Mira had left for her, knowing that she wouldn't be allowed to have the painkillers until she had something in her stomach. "I do my best, don't I?"

"They said you used Libra," Rogue began quietly, and Lucy froze. Nobody had discussed Yukino's keys with Rogue, to her knowledge. She and Sorano had wanted the keys to go to Sorano, even if the woman didn't form a contract with them, but Laxus had insisted that Lucy hold on to them. Her intention hadn't been to form a contract with them either, but Loke had come to her saying that Libra and the others would be willing to form a temporary contract while she was in danger. The extra keys were another thing Lucy was keeping under wraps, because her usual lineup was well known enough that a surprise key would give her an advantage.

"Yes," Lucy murmured softly. "She and the others said that while I'm in danger they would form a contract with me. I wanted them to go to Sorano…"

"Yukino would have wanted that," Rogue said, a sad smile on his face. "She talked about how much you loved your keys, and how she wished that her sister would be a mage like her again."

"Sorano was happier without the keys," Jellal said softly. "She was glad that Yukino hadn't made the mistakes she had with the spirits, and hoped that they loved Yukino as much as Lucy's spirits loved her."

"They did," Lucy said, tears beginning to form in her eyes. "Libra…she was in so much pain when I summoned her…that night…wanting to know what _she_ wanted from me."

"There's this…terrible emptiness," Rogue said vaguely, staring off into space. "I know she's gone, but I just feel so empty without her and Frosch. Like half my soul's been ripped away."

Lucy thought back to Erik's words about Rogue, remembering what he said about the shadow dragon slayer's soul sounding as if it was splitting. "Maybe it has been," she murmured tiredly, reaching for the strawberry milkshake that Mira had left her and taking a sip. "Acnologia keeps talking about mates. If dragons have soulmates, then maybe dragon slayers do too. And if that's so…Yukino might have been yours."

Rogue closed his eyes, and Lucy reached for the painkillers. Wendy had removed most of the pain, but the joint would be sore until the healing had truly set. Right now all she wanted to do was get rid of the pain and sleep for a while.

"Lucy?" Freed's voice asked, and she blinked up at him as he entered her quiet corner. "Laxus wants you to wear this from now on."

Studying the rune-etched bracelet, Lucy asked: "I assume there's a purpose to this?"

"It links you into the teleportation system," Freed explained. "Bring the bracelet to your mouth and whisper 'home' and it will take you to one of the safe houses. Laxus wanted extra safeguards in place while you're recovering."

"Well then," Lucy stifled a yawn. "This must have taken lots of work. Thanks Freed."

"He also says that you're not to be without a dragon slayer within arm's reach until you're fully recovered, magic levels as well as your knee," Freed said softly. "He said you can sleep in his office on the couch if you want."

Stifling another yawn, Lucy nodded, and moved to get up. Four pairs of hands were on her, pushing her gently back into her seat. "Someone will come carry you up," Erza said sternly. "Don't try and get up."

Erik came straight over, hair still damp from the shower. "Ready to sleep for a bit?" he said quietly, lifting Lucy gently into his arms. "You did good, Night Sky."

"Hush you," she grumbled as he carried her up the stairs, taking care not to jar her knee. "I know that I'm not at the same level as the rest of you, no need to sugar coat."

"One of these days you'll accept a compliment with good graces," Erik teased as he strode through Laxus's open door. Peeking out from Erik's arms, she saw her boyfriend sitting at his desk, with Sting and Acnologia in the chairs in front of it. As she was lowered to the couch, Lucy smiled at her boyfriend. "See, still in one piece. No need to worry."

Rising, he came to crouch beside her, covering her with his coat. As Lucy snuggled happily into the cozy depths, she grinned sleepily at him. "You know, one of these days you're not going to get this back after you've given it to me."

Laxus chuckled and reached into his pocket. "I think I'll find a way to get it back. Anyway, I got something for you before all this started, and haven't found the time to give it to you." Passing her the small sound pod, much like his own, he explained: "I put your favorite music from our collection on it, but you can add whatever you want later. Right now, it should help you sleep without being bothered by our discussions."

He leaned down and kissed her briefly before placing the headphones in her ears and turning the sound pod on. As he returned to his desk, Lucy closed her eyes and let herself drift into the sleep that she knew would come.

 *****Ooops, sorry everyone. With attempting to adjust to my new work schedule (or lack thereof), I completely lost track of days. Here's the latest chapter, and look forward to** ** _Chained Dragon_** **next week.*****


	11. Chapter 10

**Chapter Ten:**

When Lucy woke, she knew it had to be late afternoon, given the warm sunlight pouring in through the windows. The sound pod had stopped playing, so she had definitely been out for several hours. Her knee was just sore now, instead of the throbbing pain that the painkillers and sleep had dulled. Slipping the headphones off, Lucy realized that Laxus's office was much busier than it had been earlier in the day.

Not only were Sting and Acnologia there, Erik, Jellal, Freed, and Rufus were clustered around the map that Mest was leaning over, pointing out a location on a map on Laxus's desk.

"The reports came in from these three towns here, of a group of mages massing. Some of the witnesses reported seeing someone they recognized, with descriptions suggesting that most of the team that was sent to the games is still working for him. Only one person is missing…"

"Flare Corona," Laxus growled. "She went back to her village, according to the reports brought by Team Natsu before Tartarus. Lucy said she wanted nothing to do with Raven Tail."

"In the three years since the games, Raven Tail hasn't been registered as a legal guild. It was thought disbanded, since its master was imprisoned for cheating in the games," Jellal said slowly. "Since that was the only charge they could pin on him, he was only in jail for six months. After he was released, nobody has seen hide nor hair of Ivan Dreyar."

Lucy was listening intently. Laxus rarely spoke of his father, even when stories of the games were being told, and even with her he didn't talk about his childhood. From the little that the older members of the guild said, it had been miserable, and one of the reasons Ivan had been excommunicated had to do with something he did to Laxus.

"So you think that Ivan had something to do with the attack?" Sting asked coldly, and Lucy saw that his eyes were colder than any ice Grey worked with.

"From what we've been able to piece together, yes, we think he orchestrated the attack," Mest said patiently. "A few Raven Tail members were lurking around the guild before and after the attack, and now they seem to be gathering about two days journey from here. The Council thought it prudent to inform you that you may be at risk."

"Why go after Sabertooth though?" Rufus asked. "I have no memory of any grudge between us."

"He wants Lumen Histoire," Laxus growled, eyes flashing, and Lucy knew that he was struggling to hold onto his emotions. "Gramps never told me what it was, but Mavis said it was Fairy Tail's light, after I told them that Ivan referred to it as Fairy Tail's darkness. Apparently it's super classified information about the guild."

"Lumen Histoire?" Mest said thoughtfully. "I've heard of it, but only briefly. After the FACE incident, the Council took account of every weapon they had, and in the papers about Etherion, they mentioned that it was originally built when the Alverez Empire looked as if they were about to invade Fiore. Nobody really knows why, but the intelligence at the time suggested that they were going after something called Lumen Histoire."

"Jellal, do you know anything about this from your time on the council?" Laxus asked. Huddled under his coat, Lucy suppressed a smirk. Mest had been such a frequent visitor since the guild had been opened again that they had given up trying to keep Jellal hidden from him a little under a year ago, after an incident at Christmas where Mira trapped him with Erza under the mistletoe, forcing him to take his mask off. According to Laxus, who had quickly pulled Mest aside for a talk, Mest had known that it was Jellal since the games in x791 and quite honestly didn't care what the ex-council member was, given the positive track record since escaping and how he had helped the Oracion Seis after they were released.

"Alverez did try to invade, but nobody really had a good idea of why," the tattooed man said quietly. "I do remember Councilman Yajima being rather closed mouthed during the incident, but I was never alerted to the specifics, other than the building of Etherion."

"Much of the paperwork from that time was lost when the council building was destroyed, especially during the events surrounding the destruction of the Tower of Heaven." Mest responded, running his hand through his hair. "I don't suppose you know if you and Ultear secreted any of it away?"

With a grimace, Jellal shook his head. "I know I didn't. If I had removed information, it would have been on the Tower, not Etherion. Ultear may have taken some paperwork of her own, but I don't know what she might have had or where she might have put it."

"All this mystery is highly exciting, but can we get back to explaining why Ivan Dreyar had the balls to attack Sabertooth?" Sting demanded, his hands clenched into fists.

"This _mystery_ , Master Sting," Freed began formally, but coolly, "may explain why Ivan Dreyar attacked Sabertooth. As best as we understand, the buyer that the mayor had for Lucy's keys is from Alverez, and likely high ranked-"

A growl from Acnologia interrupted the rune mage. "It's the Emperor himself," the dragon slayer spat, fury clouding his voice. "The bastard would want the Zodiac gates under his control."

"You know who the emperor of Alverez is?" Mest asked with raised eyebrows. "Even the council and king cannot identify him."

"Oh, I know the monster," Acnologia hissed. "He came to me and told me the apocalypse was upon us."

"But you said…" Freed began, but Erik cut him off, the poison dragon slayer looking as angry as he had been when he was a member of the Oracion Seis.

"They're one and the same," the poison dragon slayer snapped. "That explains why nobody ever has laid eyes on either one. Nobody knew who they were looking at! Zeref and Emperor Spriggan are the same."

"Spriggans are ugly faeries," Lucy piped up from where she lay on the couch hoping that her observation wouldn't get her kicked out of this obviously important meeting.

"Well that's interesting," Mest muttered, rolling his eyes. "In the meantime, we've got bigger issues. If Ivan was behind the attack on Sabertooth, he may have been working with Alverez, which we know now is controlled by Zeref, to get the zodiac keys, possibly in exchange for this Lumen Histoire, which nobody knows anything about."

"You forgot to mention the war that Acnologia reports Zeref declaring," Laxus growled, eyes darting to Lucy as the council employee mentioned the zodiac keys. "All of our problems are big right now."

"That's not all of them," Mest said with a sigh. "To compound the issue, we weren't the only ones looking into the Raven Tail issue."

"Who?" Sting snapped.

"My people in the area have reported that the very same people who they questioned report being previously questioned by a young woman."

" _Sorano_ ," Erik breathed, paling slightly even under his tanned skin. "If she made the Raven Tail connection…"

"Gajeel told Ivan about the Oracion Seis," Laxus said with a groan. "He would know that she was a Celestial mage."

" _Gajeel_ was talking with Ivan?" Mest asked, dumbfounded. "Why was _that_ going on?"

"Gramps wanted someone keeping an eye on him," Laxus snapped. "If he could control what information Ivan got, it was better for all of us. Gajeel passed along general information, including that Lucy was a Celestial Spirit mage and she took 'Angel's' keys after defeating her."

"Nobody's seen Sorano since her days with the Oracion Seis," Rufus said quietly. "Depending on how she presents herself, it may be difficult to connect her to either Yukino or 'Angel', if we're lucky."

"We've got to send someone out there," Laxus said firmly. "Even if my shitty excuse for a father is behind the attacks on Sabertooth, we've got to get Sorano out of there before he becomes aware of her."

"Send Crime Sorciere," Jellal said quietly. "We're used to being undercover, and she knows us. If she hears it's us looking for her, she may not run."

Freed nodded. "We should also send Wendy, in case she's injured."

Laxus looked contemplative for a moment before adding: "I want to split the dragon slayers. Four here with Lucy, four out retrieving Sorano. If she's attacked when we bring her in, it's just as bad as if she's attacked out on her own. Erik and Wendy are going, who else?"

"I'll go," Sting said through gritted teeth. "If it was Raven Tail, I'll want to know for certain, and taking a look at them would help any plans we make."

"Then let's send Gajeel," Laxus said decisively. "He knows Ivan, and he knows undercover work. Between the four of you, plus the rest of Crime Sorciere, Sorano should be well protected without leaving Lucy vulnerable."

"We'll leave after dark tonight, from Crime Sorciere's camp," Jellal declared. "That way we have the rest of the afternoon to prepare, and hopefully won't alert any watchers to our division."

"Why don't you leave me here at the guild for the night?" Lucy piped up again, knowing that she might be pushing her luck since nobody had invited her to the council of war that was happening. "Leave Acnologia and I here, putting me in the safe room. Cancer can make Sting look passably like me for a short trip to the house, and Gajeel in a cloak with grey hair and makeup over his piercings will look enough like Acnologia. Then the only person we need to get out there without being noticed is Wendy, and we could hide her as Kinana, who will stay with me until you guys get back. Anyone watching will think I'm at Laxus's house, when in reality, I'm surrounded by most of Fairy Tail and Sabertooth, close to the teleportation array, and I have two dragon slayers with me at all times. Acnologia can sleep in the hall outside the safe room so that nobody can get to me without going through him."

Everyone gathered looked at her with shock, and Lucy shrunk back into Laxus's coat. Had she stepped out of turn?

It was Sting who broke the silence. "You want me to dress like you?"

"Yeah, so that way nobody knows that you're gone. If we can delay the reports of Crime Sorciere leaving, and muddle any reports on who's with them…Rogue should stay at the Raijinshu's house, and we'll put out rumors that he's not doing well and Sting's with him. Wendy will be doing intense training with Porlyusica here at the guild, so much so that she's not allowed out of the infirmary. Laxus, if you make a habit of teleporting yourself to and from the guild hall while they're gone, we can make it look like you're bringing me. Acnologia will be skulking around the guild, but we'll say that Gajeel's with Sting and Rogue in case of an emergency…rumors and misdirection."

"That actually…might work." Jellal said thoughtfully. "If nobody's certain who's actually gone, and where certain people are, any watchers will be reporting mixed information. Taking it a step further and not telling the guild what's actually happening gives us an extra layer of protection. Lucy's location being moved may help too, since everyone's well aware that she's been staying at the house. Perhaps sending Freed out while she's away and reinforcing the runes out there would be a good idea, to give the illusion that we're beefing up security on the house?"

"We'll see," Laxus said, but he seemed on edge. "The plan makes sense, but I'm not sure about leaving Lucy at the guild."

"She'll have two dragon slayers with her," Erik pointed out. "Natsu's almost as protective as you are, and Acnologia will be just outside her door. If anyone can get through those two, being at the house isn't going to make things better."

"How about we move everyone in the house here while you're gone?" Freed tossed out. "I'll go over the runes there and see what I can do about increasing security. We'll tell the others that we're turning it into a safe house, and that lends some credence to Lucy's idea about Wendy training with Porlyusica if she's here in the infirmary. Rogue can have his breakdown here, and be confined to Sting's office, with Sting and Gajeel switching off only to sleep. That way we've got all the dragon slayers staying in the same place, and Lucy's right. Another set of runes on that room to make it so that only those invited in can enter make it a true safe room."

"But I still have to look like a girl?" Sting whined, the first sign of immaturity that Lucy had heard from him since Sabertooth had been attacked.

Low chuckles were heard around the room. "I'll have to make a memory of that," Rufus muttered under his breath.

"Open, gate of the crab, Cancer!" Lucy fished the key off her keyring and opened Cancer's gate. Appearing with a flash of gold and the clicking of scissors, Cancer grinned at Lucy.

"Time for some makeovers?" he asked with a chuckle.

Sting groaned.

* * *

Three days later, Sting was trudging along behind the members of Crime Sorciere, acting as rear guard. Gajeel was escorting Wendy with Macbeth in the middle of the line, and Sawyer was scouting ahead. The information they had dug up suggested that Ivan's forces were massing in a valley up ahead, and had been gathering for several days. Unfortunately, it sounded as if Sorano had also found the information, and Sting could tell that Jellal was hoping that the woman had hidden her presence from Raven Tail.

The wind shifted, and Sting immediately gagged, the other three dragon slayers doing the same. Even those not gifted with the enhanced sense of smell that the dragon slayers possessed turned green.

"Come on!" Racer called, reappearing at the front of the column. "You need to see this."

Gathering himself, Sting pressed forward with the others. Something terrible had to be waiting in that valley. The stench of death was oppressive, and the cloying scent of decay was interwoven with it. Reaching the top of the hill leading down into the valley, he gagged again, seeing Wendy and Meredy drop to their knees, the pinkette losing the little lunch they had stopped for.

Whatever had happened in that valley…it had been a massacre. Bodies and parts of bodies covered the grass, intermixed with ripped tent canvases and the usual detritus of camps…the grass was painted red with blood that had dried.

"When?" Jellal said quietly, looking at the dragon slayers.

"At least a day," Gajeel said quietly, rubbing Wendy's back. "It wouldn't smell like this if it had been any earlier."

"Day and a half," Erik hissed. "There's a survivor tied to a tree across the camp. Apparently whoever did this wanted to leave someone able to explain what happened."

"Sawyer, Richard?" Jellal said, and the two men separated from the group and made their way around the edge of the valley, skirting the carnage.

Sting had been studying the valley, trying to untangle the scents from each other to try and see if he could smell Sorano. Erik had given him and Gajeel one of the woman's shirts to familiarize them with her scent, as creepy as it sounded. But it had helped them pick out her scent in the nearby city, so he wasn't going to think too much about it. What he found nearly made him hurl. "Jellal," he called softly, moving to the other man's side. "Look at the center of the carnage."

The entire group looked in that direction, and Sting heard the gasps from each and every one of them. "Erik, is there anyone else alive here?" Jellal demanded.

"Nobody's projecting thoughts, or dreams, so if anyone's alive, they're not about to hurt us," the poison dragon slayer said, eyes fixed on the body in the epicenter of the gruesome scene.

"Macbeth, Wendy, Meredy, you come with me, and we'll go see what's going on. Gajeel, Erik, and Sting, you cover us and wait for Richard and Sawyer to get back with the prisoner."

Nods all around the circle, and the four set off, picking their way along the least bloody path down towards the body in the center of the circle. Watching them, and keeping an eye on the bodies around them, Sting couldn't help but ask: "Is Sorano capable of this?" The woman he had sat vigil with the night before Yukino was buried didn't seem able to be this brutal, but he knew that she had once been a member of the Oracion Seis, so maybe it was possible.

"No," Erik said grimly, his hands clenched in fists. "No, Sorano isn't. But…Angel was."

Sting blinked at him confusedly. _Aren't they the same people?_

"It's not just a name," Erik murmured. The others had reached the center, and were kneeling around the prone body, streaked red and white with blood. "Brain created the Seis. Erik and Cobra were two different people, just like Sorano and Angel. It was the only way to survive, and the only reason why Jellal was able to turn us around."

They stood in silence for a short while, watching the area, looking for any signs of movements. But the only living people in the area were the team they had brought.

"She's alive," Erik breathed, his face relaxing slightly. "Wendy found a pulse, and says that she'll be okay, but she's unresponsive."

Sawyer and Richard, who had returned with the battered prisoner, grinned in relief, and even Gajeel, who only seemed particularly attached to Levy, Lily, and Wendy, looked happier. The group in the valley was returning, Macbeth carrying the bloody body of Sorano Aguria, despite Jellal clearly having offered to do so.

When they reached the top of the hill, Sorano was passed to Erik, who laid her gently on the clean grass before reaching for his water bottle and a shirt from his bag. Richard and Sawyer knelt next to the unconscious woman as well, having handed the prisoner to Gajeel, offering their own water bottles as the poison dragon slayer carefully cleaned the gore from the pale form. Wendy stood nearby, ready if needed

"I'm going to call Mest," Jellal said quietly, letting the four former Oracion Seis members take care of the fifth. "He'll need to know about this."

Nodding, Sting kept an eye out for anyone approaching the valley as the bluenette spoke softly with the council mage who was still at Fairy Tail, just in case they needed him. A crackle of lighting disrupted his watch, and the blonde guild master looked over to see Laxus Dreyar standing next to Jellal with Mest in his arms. If it had been any other reason, Sting would have teased the council mage about his position, but that was the only way to travel with Laxus through lightning, the fastest way that any of them had at their disposal.

"Holy mother of magic," Mest gasped, getting a look at the valley. Jellal spoke quietly with him, indicating the unconscious Sorano and the man who Gajeel was still holding onto. Meredy pulled Laxus to the side, and from their hushed conversation, it sounded as if she was telling him that they had found his father's body amidst the carnage.

"I don't care what happens to him," Laxus said flatly, his face expressionless. "He was a criminal, even when I was a child. Let him be buried with the other criminals."

The pinkette nodded and rejoined Jellal and Mest's conversation, leaving Laxus to check up on Wendy, who was monitoring Sorano from a distance, and Gajeel. When he had assured himself of their safety, he joined Sting as the blonde kept watch.

"Rogue and the rest of Sabertooth are doing well," the lightning dragon slayer said quietly. "Lucy's plan worked out rather well. Nobody really knows where anyone is, and I've compounded the issue by completely mixing up the patrol schedules. Its organized chaos, and a pretty good mask for what's actually happening, from what I understand."

"That's good to hear," Sting said absentmindedly, still trying to understand how Angel and Sorano could be the different people capable of vastly different things.

Laxus's voice interrupted his thoughts again. "I'll take Sorano back to the guild," he said firmly, crossing his arms over his chest. "We need to get her back to the guild without anyone knowing that she wasn't there for all this time."

"We're not leaving her," Erik growled in response, his stance mirroring Laxus as he stood, placing himself between the unconscious woman and the lightning dragon slayer. "You'll be missing half the dragon slayers with double the number of Celestial Wizards to protect. And Wendy won't be there to keep an eye on her."

"I can come back for Wendy," Laxus said sternly. "I would take you all, but I can't manage that many trips in one day without over exhausting myself. You'll move faster without her."

"What if she wakes up?" Erik hissed quietly, gesturing to Sorano on the grass behind him. "I can't get a read on her right now. We don't know how she'll react to this! Do you want to be dealing with Angel when she doesn't have one of us around?"

"Can you make three trips?" Macbeth asked quietly, leaving the small circle around Sorano.

"It would be pushing it, depending on who else I brought back with me," Laxus admitted softly. "I don't want to leave myself vulnerable if I need to get both Sorano and Lucy away from the guild hall if something happens."

"Take Erik back then," Macbeth murmured, his hand on the dragon slayer's arm. "He'll be of more use to us at the guild with Sorano than he would be here with us. You'll only be down two dragon slayers then, and Sorano will have someone she trusts with her."

Considering the plan for a moment, Laxus nodded. Sting let out the breath he had been holding. If Laxus had pushed the issue, the chances of the two dragon slayers fighting were high. Even an outsider like him could see that the poison dragon slayer considered Sorano kin, and the safety of one's kin was paramount to dragons and dragon slayers alike. Ever since Acnologia's arrival at the guild, Sting had been digging through his memories of his time with Weisslogia, trying to remember if the dragon had taught him things that he had ignored at the time. Little memories of discussions on kin and mates came and went, enough to assure him that Acnologia was telling the truth when the ancient dragon slayer had spoken of mating, and of alphas. Erik and Laxus both had the characteristics of Alpha dragons, so much so that Sting knew if one of them ever challenged him, he would yield without question. Looking at the two of them, Sting knew that his title as guild master did not make him Laxus's equal in leadership.

"Take me first," Erik said stubbornly. "Then Sorano, then Wendy."

"I'll stay with the others," Wendy said quietly. "Porlyusica will be able to help with anything that she needs. To be honest, most of her injuries were superficial. Malnutrition, dehydration, and overexposure to sun are the worst of her problems, and she just needs rest and good food. Make sure that she starts light though."

"Like Lucy when she was recovering, initially," Laxus said with a nod. "I'll tell her and Porlyusica." Turning to Erik, he nodded. "Alright Bleach Breath, let's get going."

 *****Sorry this is late. I kinda forgot about it because I was stressing over CoLu Week and my absolute lack of inspiration for today's prompt. Not much else to say here, so I guess I'll see everyone on Wednesday for** ** _Chained Dragon_** **.*****


	12. Chapter 11

**Chapter Eleven:**

Sting hovered outside the infirmary doors, wondering what he was doing here. He had been back for several hours, and Sorano's team had been in and out of the infirmary, keeping vigil over her. Apparently she hadn't woken at all, and Erik still couldn't get anything from her soul. When Wendy reported to Laxus in his office, she said that physically the woman was fine, but it was if her soul had separated from her body.

He had been busy ever since he had returned. Laxus had wanted to be briefed on what Mest had found out about Ivan, and then his guild members had paraded through his office demanding explanations. Rogue had stopped by for a brief conversation about what Acnologia had been discussing with the dragon slayers who had remained. Even Lucy had breezed through his office, bringing food and news of the smaller things that had happened in the guild that nobody had thought to mention to him. She wasn't limping at all, so Sting assumed that Wendy had released her to do her normal training.

All of the others had gone home already. Sting had volunteered himself to stay at the guildhall and get some extra work done, as well as provide an extra guard for Sorano. When he had left his office, he had intended to simply slip down to the kitchen for a snack, but he had gotten sidetracked walking by the infirmary door. It was as if the woman inside was calling him.

Quietly opening the door, he entered the room to find it filled with moonlight. Resisting the urge to eat it, he strode softly over to the prone figure on the bed, bathed in the moonlight streaming in from the overhead windows. Gazing down at her, he found that she looked beautiful in the pale light, her hair almost sparkling.

"You look like Sleeping Beauty," he murmured, reaching out to tentatively stroke her hair. "But you're not some princess waiting in her tower for a lame prince to beat all the bad guys. You're out there on the front lines, showing the pansies how it's done."

A thought entered his mind unbidden. _What would happen if I kissed her?_

Sting shook his head and backed away from the prone form. She needed rest, and time, not a kid like him bumbling about like a lovestruck fool. As he left the infirmary, he cast a glance over his shoulder, taking one last long look at the girl. Something inside him wanted to return to her side, but he set those thoughts aside and returned on his trek to the kitchens, pointedly ignoring the infirmary door when he returned to his office. He had work to do.

* * *

Lucy flitted between the tables, talking cheerfully with the guild members sitting there. Laxus, Jellal, Sting, and Mest were holed up in Laxus's office, discussing the information they had gotten from Ivan's camp. Sorano still hadn't woken up, which was worrying, but Porlyusica said that after someone's been through something traumatic, they ran the risk of shutting down completely until they were able to heal from it. Crime Sorciere took turns sitting with the woman, and Lucy took shifts as well. She alternated between sitting in silence and talking quietly about what had been going on with the guild, hoping that she would help Sorano realize that it was safe.

"Natsu, Gajeel, Rogue, Erik, Wendy: you're all wanted in Laxus's office," Jellal announced from the top of the railing as he rejoined the bustle of guild members on the first floor. The dragon slayers he summoned headed up the stairs, and Lucy wondered if this was about what Acnologia had been discussing with Laxus at night after they had returned to the house. She had gotten used to being sent to Laxus's room so that the two men could talk in silence, only tolerating it because she knew Acnologia was paranoid about telling non-dragon slayers dragon slayer secrets. Their discussions had been getting longer of late, and she had found herself falling asleep before Laxus joined her in bed, and she hoped that meant they were getting somewhere.

Continuing on her next table, she wiped it down quickly. Laxus would explain what he could when things were settled, but Acnologia had assured her that he would do his best to prevent Laxus and Erik from turning into what he had become.

After a short while, all of the dragon slayers paraded down the stairs and headed out to the training grounds. Tossing her rag behind the bar, Lucy slipped out after them, wondering what was going on. As she took a seat on the bleachers, she found Acnologia settling in next to her as the dragon slayers arrayed themselves in the arena. "I assume I'm allowed to be here?" she asked wryly, wondering if this was another of the dragon slayers' secrets that she wasn't allowed to be privy to.

"It's just them fighting it out for dominance," Acnologia said offhandedly. "The only people who may not want an audience are those who are going to lose."

"All of them have to fight?" she asked softly, worry filling her heart. Wendy wouldn't stand a chance against any of the others. The girl was a healer, not a fighter, although she was able to hold her own.

"They have the choice to yield if they feel so compelled," Acnologia replied, eyes watching the interactions on the field. "The Maiden of the Sky will likely yield immediately. She is not a leader. It will be an interesting afternoon."

"When isn't an afternoon around here interesting?" Lucy grumbled.

Laxus seemed to make the first move, placing himself in the center of the field, arms crossed over her chest, lightning dancing over his skin. Wendy followed him to the center, but she knelt in front of them, her head tipping so that her neck was bared for Laxus.

"As I said, she's submitting, acknowledging the hybrid as her Alpha," Acnologia's voice rumbled in approval."

"So, baring your neck and kneeling is the sign of submission to an alpha?" Lucy asked curiously, trying to reason out the dynamics.

"Typically it's just baring the neck, usually after a fight when the alpha has you pinned, but since she chooses not to fight, she simply made herself completely vulnerable. His dragon will accept that and she will be part of his pack."

Gajeel approached as Wendy moved to the sidelines, away from the undeclared slayers, but it was obvious that Gajeel wasn't going to submit as easily as Wendy had.

Both slayers clashed, Laxus coated with lightning and Gajeel in his scales. Studying them, Lucy knew that they were hardly in full battle mode, more testing each other's limits. "Gajeel's testing Laxus. They've fought in the past, Gajeel and Natsu against Laxus. He beat both of them, or at least fought them to a draw."

"The son of Metallicana is making sure that his alpha is better suited to protect the pack than he is, but he will follow his kin in her decision."

Lucy was surprised at the dragon slayer declaring Wendy and Gajeel kin, but she realized that the Iron Dragon slayer had taken on Wendy as some type of adoptive little sister and looked after her. It made sense in a way.

"And there he goes," Acnologia grunted, as Laxus pinned Gajeel, and the raven haried slayer shifted so that his neck was bared. "Looks like the snake is up next. This should be interesting."

Erik and Laxus faced off, but Lucy could see that Erik was only testing Laxus, just as Gajeel had. "It makes sense," she thought out loud for the benefit of Acnologia sitting next to her. "If Erik had an issue with Laxus, it would have come up much earlier than this."

Sure enough, Erik was soon pinned and baring his neck to Laxus before joining Gajeel and Wendy on the sidelines. Someone said something, and Erik's chuckle echoed through the arena. "At least they appear to be enjoying themselves," Lucy said, but she was distracted by the next fight. Natsu was rushing headlong at Laxus, flames covering his fists. _Natsu's always wanted to challenge Laxus…this isn't going to end until he's satisfied._

Laxus shocked Natsu, putting him down on the ground, and pinned him with a knee to the back. Natsu's entire body erupted into flames, but Laxus held the fire dragon slayer in place regardless, leaning down to growl something in his ear. Whatever it was, Natsu just fought harder.

Several long moments later, Natsu's flames went out, and he finally bared his neck. Laxus's skin was a bright red, and his clothes were flaking off him as Wendy rushed over to heal him. But he brushed her off and faced Sting and Rogue.

"This will be interesting," Acnologia said as he leaned back to take in the scene. "What happens, legally if the guild master of Sabertooth pledges himself to the guild master of Fairy Tail?"

"I don't know…" Lucy mumbled, trying to remember. "I don't think it's ever happened before."

"That's what we've been discussing," Mest said heavily from behind them, and Lucy saw that he was sitting with Freed and Rufus. "It shouldn't matter too much, since Laxus is only forming the pack to stabilize the dragon instincts from the lacrima, but it's hard to tell. Legally, it's permissible since there is no rule against situations like this."

"Yet," Freed muttered, and Lucy giggled slightly before turning back to the field. Nobody had moved yet, and Laxus seemed to be studying Sting.

After another long moment, Sting approached and dropped to his knees, speaking clearly enough for the Lucy and the non-dragon slayers in the stands. "I have fought against and alongside Natsu Dragoneel, and I know that I am not as strong as he is. If he saw fit to submit and claim you as his alpha, than so do I."

Rogue dropped down next to Sting, and Laxus nodded, resting a hand on their heads as he had done with Wendy. As the twin dragons stood, the rest of the slayers gathered around Laxus, and Lucy saw them murmuring amongst each other.

"He's naming his beta," Acnologia murmured for the benefit of Lucy and the others in the stands. "Gajeel. But Erik is tasked with being responsible in a crisis for any mates or children unless told otherwise."

"What happens next?" Lucy asked, wanting to know more about dragon slayer culture. "Now that they've formed a pack, will that help Laxus and Erik enough?"

"They'll need mates to ground them," the dragon slayer sitting next to her rumbled. "I'd be prepared for anything for the next few days, Maiden of the Stars. Perhaps I'll move myself elsewhere."

"What are you talking about?" Lucy snapped.

The dragon slayer turned leaned towards her, so close she could feel his breath on her face. "Mating…is a two-step process. First, you form the bond, simply by being in contact with one another. What you call _dating_ now. And when you're ready, or your instincts get too much to control, you taken them to bed. I assume you don't need me to describe what happens there."

She shuddered at the imagery his words provoked, her world narrowed to the sound of his voice and the thoughts in her head.

"And then," he rasped, and she felt his hand gently moving her hair of the side of her neck, baring it for his view. "In the heat of _the_ moment, where the world is shattering around you, you will find yourself baring your neck, submitting to him, and, unlike the slayers today, he will bite you, leaving his mark upon you so that anyone who sees you will know who you belong to. His fingers, rough and warm, traced a pattern on her neck, causing Lucy to shudder again.

"He has made a grave mistake leaving you unmarked, Celestial Maiden," Acnologia whispered, his breath caressing her ear. "While the other slayers may respect him enough to not press their suit on you, _I_ have no such compunctions."

Lucy's eyes flew open, her breath catching in her throat. The mental images of Laxus shattered, and she was left staring into the dark eyes of the dragon slayer who became a dragon. She was frightened of the heat in his eyes, and wondered where Freed, Rufus, and Mest had gone. _Shouldn't Laxus or Erik be able to hear him?_

"Have I frightened you?" Acnologia rasped, his voice sending chills up her spine after her realization that the dragon was lusting after her. "I can be gentle, Celestial Maiden. You are drawn to the power of the dragon slayers, and I have plenty of it. Those blessed by the stars have always been drawn to us; you need not fear. We will never take an unwilling partner to our beds. No, if a day comes where you bear my mark, you will have come to me willingly."

"Never," she whispered, searching for an exit from the situation. Lucy knew that the truce would protect her, but the depths of his desire for her frightened her with how primal they were. At the same time, she couldn't help but remember Laxus, on the day when Yukino died. Echoes of the same lust had been in his eyes, and she instinctively knew that he was just as anxious to claim her as Acnologia was. Standing up, she scurried for the safety of the guild, heading for Laxus's office and hoping that he would be there.

He was, and even better, he was alone. "How long have you wanted to claim me?" Lucy asked, letting the door shut behind her.

"Months," he said quietly, looking at the paperwork on his desk. "How did you figure out what it was?"

"Acnologia," Lucy said with a shiver. "He told me how the process of taking a mate worked, and it was pretty clear he was trying to seduce me."

" _What_?" Laxus growled, and he was out of his seat and halfway to the door before Lucy could respond.

"Just seduce, not actually make off with me," Lucy said, stepping in front of him. "He basically made the offer, but said that _if_ he were to mark me, I would have to come to him willingly. To be honest, his… _intensity_ …scared me. It would have to be a snowy day in hell before I ever considered his offer."

"Did he touch you?" Laxus demanded, sparks crackling around them with the force of his anger.

Mutely, Lucy indicated her neck, and Laxus growled in irritation before pressing his lips to her skin. The contact made Lucy's knees go weak as he kissed up and down her neck, the tiny scrape of his canines against her skin sending shudders up her spine and doing all sorts of agreeable things to her body.

"I'm going to leave a mark," he murmured, voice muffled against her skin. "It won't be the mate mark, but it's going to remind every bastard in this building that you belong with me."

"Why not the mate mark?" Lucy said, shuddering as his lips latched on to her neck again, sucking and nibbling. "I don't mind."

"I don't want to rush into this," Laxus said, withdrawing from her neck, the heat in his eyes enough to make her melt. "It will be soon, but I have my pack to look out for first. Erik and Kinana have tonight, as long as she's okay with it. Gajeel's asking Levy, and they'll take tomorrow if that's what they want. Ryos…he was already mated with Yukino before she died. It happened the night before he left, and they didn't have time to talk about it…Sting hasn't found anyone, or if he is, he's not saying."

"And Natsu's an idiot when it comes to women, but what are you going to do about Wendy?" Lucy finished for him, taking deep breaths to calm herself from the heated moments they had shared.

"What about Wendy?" Laxus asked, the heat slowly fading from his eyes as they started focusing on their responsibilities to his pack.

Lucy snorted. "Hun, in case you haven't noticed, she's biologically fifteen. She's already interested in somebody, and I have a feeling I know who. Are you going to give her the option of approaching the person she's interested in, or are you going to make her wait until she's older?"

Laxus sighed. "Lucy, for us, there's a…magnetism…around someone who is a potential mate candidate. While Wendy _is_ mature for her age, I don't know if I would trust her to know who the best candidate is."

Chuckling, Lucy said: "I think she'd have a harder time convincing _him_ than convincing anyone else."

He looked at her, wide-eyed. " _Mest_? You think Wendy's considering _Mest_ as a romantic candidate? What about Romeo?"

With a shrug, Lucy settled into the couch. "Romeo's sweet, but I think Wendy's had a thing for Mest since Tenrou. And if the gossip I heard from Erik is true, Mest up and left the council to binge drink himself into oblivion until he heard we had returned from Tenrou. Something about being guilty about _her_ death."

Laughing, Laxus dropped back into his chair. "Well, she'll have to wait a few days. He's off to the council, presenting a petition that will exempt us from the Interguild Treaty if Alverez starts anything with us. We got lucky that Sorano was acting on her own without authorization, and he was able to dress it up as a mutiny gone wrong. But this isn't going to be like Phantom Lord, where we defend ourselves, and then get hauled in by the council. Not if I can help it."

"Do you think it will come to war?" Lucy asked softly from her spot on the couch.

"Acnologia said that Zeref declared war. After what happened with Ivan and Sabertooth, we'd be stupid to think it's just a hoax." Laxus looked serious. "If things go wrong with the council, I'm sending Gajeel and Crime Sorciere to get information on Alverez. It's the only thing that will get us the information we need so we don't go in blind."

As she bit her lip, Lucy wondered whether or not she could share the secret she had been keeping since the night he swore an oath with Acnologia. Capricorn had worked magic on her that kept it hidden from even Erik's soul listening magic. "Laxus, I may be able to help with that," she said softly. "Do you remember that Loke said _in her the old lines are reborn_ when talking with Acnologia?"

Immediately alert, Laxus nodded. "There was a lot going on under the surface about Celestial Wizards that day that I didn't understand, and Loke didn't want to explain. Can you explain some of it, or is it top secret?"

"I can tell you, but you have to keep it secret until it's needed, if it's needed." Lucy took a deep breath and tried to figure out how to begin. "It all starts with the origins of Celestial Magic."

"The spirits were originally free to traverse between our world and theirs. They were thought of as guardian angels, who answered the call of the worthy. Today, we refer to them as Celestial Spirits, and those who call upon them are Celestial Mages."

"But like everything, some people figured out how to misuse the Celestial Spirits, and the King sealed the divide between their worlds. Unable to leave the people of our world to fend for themselves, many of the keys petitioned their king for access to our world, and thus the gold and silver keys were formed. But who to give them to?"

"There were three bloodlines of Celestial Mages who had been 'blessed' by three spirits who are far more powerful than anything we could imagine. Andromeda, Hercules, and Ursa Major. These three bloodlines went on to civilize and rule Fiore after the Dragon Civil War ended, uniting the people. Of the three, Andromeda was the ruling line, and to this day, Fiore is ruled by distant descendants of the Andromeda line, though they lack the magic to declare themselves their heirs and actually carry more Hercules blood than Andromeda. Any person who could declare themselves head of the Andromeda line by right of magic and blood would effectively be able to lay claim to the kingdom."

"And if Loke says that the old lines are reborn in you…" Laxus said, catching on.

Lucy nodded miserably. "Of the celestial mages, I am the most powerful since the days of the Dragon Civil War. Yukino and Sorano are both of the Ursa Major line, and my father carried Hercules blood. My mother carried both Ursa Major and Andromeda blood, making it so that I am the only person to bear all three lines, making my claim to Andromeda even stronger. It comes out in the hair."

"You and your mother are blonde," Laxus commented. "Is that the Andromeda trait?"

"You, and Sting, likely carry traces of the blood as well," Lucy confirmed. "Ursa Major's was the white hair, so the Strauss siblings are likely descended from Ursa Major, although only Sorano and Yukino inherited the magic. Karen Lilica, Bisca, Hisui, and Freed, are probably of the Hercules bloodline. But I'm the only active Celestial mage, so I can lay claim to all three lines."

"So what are you saying?" Laxus asked. "You want to overthrow the kingdom?"

Shaking her head, Lucy said: "The king can lay heavy influence on the Magic Council if he chooses. If Mest brings back word that the council won't exempt us from the treaty, I can go to Hisui and hold my ability to override her claim to the throne by virtue of my bloodline and magic over her so that she pressures the council into allowing it. It's a risky move, since by pressing my claim, I can be targeted and quietly eliminated to prevent me from making my threat a reality. To be honest, I wouldn't blame her. If I were to take up the mantle of the Andromeda, Hercules, and Ursa Major, I would hold Hercules in trust for the next Celestial mage to be born to that line, and it could be from any of them. Sorano would take Ursa Major, and I would pass Andromeda down my bloodline. There's no guarantee that someone in my bloodline, or one of the others, would try and usurp the throne down the line."

Whistling lowly, Laxus considered the problem she posed. She could tell that he wouldn't leave a dangerous person like her free to cause whatever trouble she wanted if he were the royal family. "What's your plan?"

"Offer the princess a deal. I'll take up the Andromeda heirship, but swear that neither me nor my bloodline will pursue the throne without due cause. In addition, I'll stipulate that the Hercules bloodline passes to the royal family automatically if one of the members fulfills the requirements to take it up. She'll have to get me the information on Alverez as well as override the council or at least pardon us when it's all said and done."

"Is there any way you can avoid taking up the heirship?" Laxus asked softly.

Lucy sighed. "I already have," she admitted. "Capricorn's been teaching me magic that was restricted to recognized members of the bloodline. After the fight with Erik and Gajeel the other day, I knew I needed something more. It was bound to happen anyway."

He stood up and wrapped her in his arms. "Don't think too hard about it tonight. Because Erik and Kinana might be…occupied…I invited the rest of Crime Sorciere over for a movie night."

* * *

Hours later, Lucy was startled out of her sleep by the shrill sound of a lacrima ringing somewhere near her ear. Shooting upright, she hit her head on something that groaned, and placed her hand on something squishy. Blinking in the semi-darkness, she reached for the lacrima ringing on the table.

"Sparky, get you and Blondie over here _now_ ," Erik's voice yelled into the stirring room, panicked. "And you should probably bring Pinkie too. And maybe the she-demon."

"Put some clothes on!" she squeaked, catching a sight of him on the lacrima.

"Not the issue right…shit _Blondie_?" he swore as she dropped the lacrima onto someone's stomach in an effort to rid herself of the sight of Erik wearing much less than he usually wore.

A shifting of bodies, and Laxus's arm snatched the lacrima away. "Damn it Erik, what's going on? Are you under attack?"

"No," Erik swore again, and everyone in the living room relaxed, although most of them were still detangling themselves and preparing to leave. "Just…get here as fast as you can. And Mira might be needed."

He closed the connection, and Lucy saw Laxus sigh as he looked over the tangled bodies on his living room floor. "No more movie nights when we might need to leave quickly. Lucy, Meredy go. Jellal, get the guild hall on the lacrima and have Mira up and waiting if we need her. Once they know, call the Raijinshu's house and let them know that…something's happening."

Pushing herself out of Macbeth's grasp, Lucy hadn't realized how cuddly he was before they started having regular movie nights, Lucy checked that her keys, knife, and whip were in place on her belt before joining Laxus at the door and pulling on her boots and coat. Meredy was there in a moment after she wiggled her way out from under Richard's arm. When they were all ready, Laxus wrapped his arms around them both and transported them off the front porch to the front of Crime Sorciere's cabin.

Erik was waiting, and as they approached, he threw open the door. Thankfully, he had put on pants, but he was still shirtless. "Come in…it's Kinana."

Meredy and Lucy exchanged looks and rushed past him, heading for the only private bedroom in the cabin, only to draw up short at the sight of the giant purple snake coiled on the bed.

"Cubelios?" Lucy whispered, and the snake lifted its head to look at her. "Kinana, you managed to transform again?"

The snake nodded, and Lucy approached cautiously, reaching out to run her hand along the snake's head. "I'm going to call Crux out, and we'll see if we can figure out what happened..."

"No need," a voice rasped from the doorway, and Lucy was startled to see Acnologia leaning in there, taking the scene in with an amused glance on his face. "She's fine."

"What the hell do you mean?" Erik snapped from the front room, at the same time as Laxus asked: "How the hell did you get here?"

"Mating, specifically the moment when the slayer marks his mate, involves a sharing of magic. You knew that she can become a snake?" Acnologia motioned them back into the front room, leaving Kinana curled on the bed. "And a dragon flies almost as quickly as lightning strikes."

"That's how we first met," Erik explained, running a hand through his hair. "She was a snake, and we didn't know she was human until after I was put in prison. The first time," he clarified.

"Fairy Tail found her and managed to undo whatever had been keeping her from changing back, but we haven't been able to replicate it since then." Laxus said, dropping down on one of the benches in the front room. "You think this magic sharing somehow triggered it?"

"Obviously," Acnologia drawled. "It's a power consuming transformation. The snake allowed her access to a bit of his magic, probably enough to tip the scales. Since she likely wasn't focusing on…well, keeping the transformation at bay, she changed. All she has to do is focus on her human body and she'll change back."

"Meredy, Lucy, why don't you go in and work with Kinana to make sure she doesn't get stuck like she did before," Laxus said, laying a restraining hand on Erik's shoulder. "We'll stay out here and try and figure out any other surprises we might come across."

* * *

"Your intended has done you a grave insult."

The voice behind her made Lucy jump, hand flying to her keys on instinct before she processed the speaker's identity. Turning, she eyed the dragon of the apocalypse warily. Their conversation from the other day, practically seducing her with each word, had hovered uncomfortably in her mind.

Even with the fading mark on her neck from Laxus's response to her, Acnologia's very presence was like a siren song, calling to something inside her that she hadn't known existed. Logically, Lucy knew that she was reacting to Laxus in very much the same way, but they had so few opportunities to be alone together, with the tension surrounding the guild like a thick blanket.

Taking another step, Acnologia brought himself further into the storeroom, the room she had occupied while the guild was being rebuilt until the day she almost died. She had decided to clean in out and turn it into additional infirmary space, where the comatose Sorano could recuperate in peace and safety. Vaguely, Lucy realized that they were completely alone, something that hadn't happened since Sabertooth had arrived at Fairy Tail after Yukino's death. The thought made her wary, unconsciously taking a step backwards as the dragon advanced further.

"Perhaps you are not the alpha that I believed you to be," Acnologia mused, eyes sweeping over her, sizing her up. "If you're willing to let such an insult pass unacknowledged."

"Perhaps your manners are a few centuries out of date," Lucy countered, trying to hide how on edge his presence made her. "Since Laxus has done nothing wrong."

"That he has done _nothing_ is the insult," Acnologia responded with another step forward, leaving Lucy no further room to retreat as she backed into the wall. "Despite having clear warning, and the _right_ to claim you, he makes to wait, leaves you unprotected among unmated slayers."

"He's looking out for the others," Lucy fired back, trying not to let his words get under her skin. "Once they're settled, he and I will take the last step."

"The hybrid has had you in his bed for _weeks_ ," the dragon rasped. "How many times has he slept beside you and done nothing? How many nights has it been since he _touched_ you? I have seen him kiss you, and he obviously left such a transient mark on you, but is that the extent of his affections for you?"

"My relationship with Laxus is none of your concern," Lucy said slowly, pressing herself further against the wall. "If you haven't noticed lately, there's a bounty out on my head because of my magic, and we only just found the other celestial mage. Things have been a little stressful lately."

"All the more reason to complete the process," he whispered, a dangerous light in his eyes. "How better for the alpha to govern his own pack than to lead by example? The hybrid should have taken you first, instead of letting the snake go before him. At the rate he's going, the Maiden of the _Sky_ will have taken a mate to her bed before he marks you."

"What does it matter to you?" she replied back uncertainly, realizing that he had advanced again so that their faces were only inches apart. "My relationship with Laxus is nothing to you."

"On the contrary," Acnologia murmured darkly. "It means a great deal to me. You've felt the pull, have you not? Our very magic is tied to our survival instincts, and right now they're pushing all of us to complete the bond. It matters little to the magic _who_ we choose; power is the only factor in play. And you, Star Maiden, have plenty of power. So much so, that it seems as if it might burst out of your skin one day."

Slowly, he reached out and caressed her arm, bare for once, since she had shucked off her long sleeved shirt and worked only in a tank top while she cleaned. The soft caress gave her the shivers, and she felt the pull Acnologia had described double at the touch. Lucy swallowed hard.

"We are drawn together," he continued, and she could feel the callouses on his fingertips as he made a firmer caress, drawing even closer until there could be no more than two inches between his body and hers. "You, an alpha female, and me, an alpha. We could destroy the world and remake it to our liking together. The bond sings between us like the stars on a clear winter's night. Many years have I walked Earthland and found nobody who I resonated with the way I resonate with you. Even Zeref would crumble in the face of our combined powers."

"And I would be an attentive lover," the caressing hand moved to her face, the backs of his fingers tracing the line of her jaw, the other hand, all soft skin, new skin from where Wendy had created a brand new _arm_ for him, gently pulled her hair back from her neck, baring the skin there. "You would never find yourself in need of another. If I had been the hybrid, the morning after the first night you had come to my bed would see you bearing my mark. There would be no question of who your mate was, no moment when you walked around unprotected amidst a pack of slayers who might very well _kill_ to take a mate like you. The hybrid has left you unguarded, free to be plucked away whenever he is not by your side to demonstrate his claim."

His mouth was by her ear now, breath warm against her neck as he continued, one hand still tracing her neck as the other shifted to cradle her head. The bulk of his body was now resting gently against her, all hard muscle and sharp planes, _leaner than Laxus_ she thought vaguely, but there wasn't much room for anything besides the here and now and the words Acnologia was whispering in her ear.

" _Just say yes_ ," he breathed in her ear, and Lucy realized she was trembling. With fear, or was it lust? "I will not take you unwilling, but just say the word and I will make you mine, give you everything you might have dreamed of in the dark nights when your intended left you cold and alone, give you more than you could have dreamed of."

His lips shifted away from her ear, and she realized with a start that they were pressed against the column of her throat, a whisper soft kiss (a promise?), and then they were brushing against hers, the hand cupping her head drawing her in against him and then he was kissing her. It was unlike any kiss she had ever had, scorching and seductive, with the same feeling that she had grown accustomed to every time she left the mayor's office with a new job in hand, wondering if she would come back, or if this would be the job that tipped her off the edge of the knife into something she didn't know if she could come back from. Her lack of response didn't seem to bother him, his lips coaxing, dominating, demonstrating, as if to show her what she would experience by throwing Laxus over for him.

Drawing back, he pressed his cheek against hers, still holding her between his body and the wall, lips by her ear to whisper: " _Just say the word,_ "

Part of her, the part that she knew was reacting to the pull, the seductive draw of her magic to one who would possibly be a worth mate, was crumbling away, melting into a pile of goo without resistance, but another part of her, the same part that had kept her upright when Gajeel had tortured her, that had kept her unbroken when Flare had threatened Asuka, that had carried her through the year and a half of torture under the mayor's increasing frustration…that part held her steady, anchored her thoughts and reminded her who she had chosen.

And it wasn't Acnologia.

" _No_ ," she said softly, but firmly, and he stilled momentarily. "No," she repeated, more strongly, muscles responding as she struggled to distance herself from Acnologia. "I will be _Laxus's_ mate. Not yours, or anyone else's. He is the one I have chosen, and even if I have to wait a thousand years, I will wait for him."

Pulling back from her, Acnologia sneered. "He is an alpha," the dragon growled, face dark. "But with me, you could be a _queen_." As he let go, he turned, and slid out the door, leaving Lucy alone again in the storeroom, still reeling from how strong the urge had been to surrender to the dragon, regardless of how much she loved Laxus.

* * *

In the true style of Fairy Tail, the next crisis came with all of the warnings at once.

As a member of the city burst through the doors, screaming for Laxus, Mest, who Lucy was discussing the finer points of the Interguild Treaty with, collapsed on the floor holding his head, and Charle hissed something about a flaming tree.

"Dragon slayers, except Rogue and Acnologia with me. Sabertooth, stay behind and prevent anyone not Fairy Tail from entering the guild hall. Fairy Tail, fighters only move out. We're going to the big tree in the center of the park." Laxus made a fearsome sight, lighting sparking from his form to capture the attention of the group.

"Mest needs Wendy's attention right now!" Lucy called from where she knelt next to the downed man, who was whimpering in pain, his eyes wide.

"Wendy, you stay behind too then. Porlyusica, come with us in case someone needs help." Switching places with Lucy, the bluenette started murmuring something to the Council member. The blonde joined the throng of members leaving the guild hall, keeping pace with Levy as they tailed the dragon slayers at the head of the column. Tipping her head towards the small grey mark on her friend's neck, Lucy offered a congratulatory smile, but focused her attention on the group in front of them.

Natsu, Sting, Gajeel, and Erik were in the air. Kinana had regained her ability to fly with her rediscovered ability to transform into a snake, and the others were flying with their exceeds as normal. She could see the column of smoke drifting from the center of the city, and wondered who would set the park on fire.

Laxus outpaced the rest of the group as they reached the entrance of the park, shifting into his lighting form to land in front of the tree. Lucy froze as she heard the roar the slipped from him. It was too much like what she remembered Acnologia's to be. Shaking herself out of her stupor, she sprinted towards him, heart filled with fear.

Her boyfriend was kneeling before the tree, lighting crackling around his form, keeping anyone from getting close to him. Natsu and the others had landed nearby, but were frozen like the rest of them. "Natsu, Grey, Juvia…Put out the tree!" she called before walking into the center of the lightning storm.

Lucy's attention was focused completely on the blonde in front of her, but she vaguely heard the others obeying. Laxus's shoulders were shaking, and she could see the seams on his shirt straining, and Lucy knew that he was fighting a transition into Dragon Force. Kneeling behind him, she carefully wrapped her arms around his shoulders, resting her chin at the base of his neck. "What is it?" she whispered.

Before he could reply, she peered over his shoulder, and saw the still form in his arms. "Oh no," she breathed, as she looked upon the still form of Makarov Dreyar, cradled in Laxus's arms.

"I'm going to kill him," Laxus growled softly, and Lucy saw that he was crying, the tears dripping down his face. "I'm going to make Zeref pay for this."

" _We'll_ make Zeref pay for this," Lucy murmured, swallowing hard. "He's made enemies of the worst possible guild to piss off, as Erza would say."

Standing slowly, Laxus took a deep breath. Lucy stood with him, still enshrouded by the lightning she had walked through to reach him, but protected from it at the same time. "They placed Alverez's mark on the tree," Laxus growled. "I'll make them regret it."

The lightning around them collapsed, instead sending a single bolt to the tree where it began to burn away the mark of Alverez. Lucy let her power stream down her arms in a trick she had learned from Loke and cast it at the tree, picturing what she wanted it to do. Around them, she was aware of other magic's hitting the tree, all of them with the same intent. Pulling away, panting from exertion, she saw the Fairy Tail guild mark resting where Alverez's had been.

"We need to tell them," she whispered as Laxus stood still, staring at the guild mark, his grandfather's body in his arms. "They're as much his brats as we are."

Laxus nodded, and they slowly turned to face the gathered guild members. As Makarov's body was displayed to them, reactions rippled through the guild, but not one face that Lucy saw was dry. Makarov had been brother, father, uncle, and grandfather to all of them. Not a single soul in the guild hadn't been touched by his kindness. He would be missed.

"Redfox," Laxus snapped, and Gajeel moved to his side. "We're taking him back to the guild. I need…"

"I'll work with Mira on the arrangements," Lucy said softly. "We…we did them for Yukino."

"I'll make sure everyone's safe," Gajeel said, his red eyes conspicuously wet.

"So he finally bit it," the cracked voice of Porlyusica came from in front of them, and Lucy did a double take as she realized that the woman was crying. "I always told him that if he didn't take better care of himself…"

Without realizing what she was doing, Lucy stepped forward and wrapped the old woman in her arms. "He's at peace now," she whispered, feeling the uncontrollable trembling in Porlyusica's limbs.

The guild parted as Laxus strode forwards, silent in respect for the guild master they all loved. Lucy guided Porlyusica behind him, and she felt the Dragon Slayers form ranks around them, an honor guard of sorts. Silently they made their way back to the guild, and Lucy heard the bells tolling at Cardia Cathedral, the long, slow peals signaling death. Magnolia's entire population seemed to line the streets back to the guild as Laxus bore his grandfather's body to the guild hall so that they could prepare to lay him to rest.

Sabertooth's fighters stood in front of the guild, heads bowed in solemn silence as Laxus approached. Bisca was inside the doors, Asuka held in her arms, tears streaming down both of their faces as they saw Makarov's body.

"Gramps," Asuka sobbed, reaching out for the old man, and Lucy felt her heart break. "Why did you go away?"

Laxus ignored the little girl, placing his grandfather gently on a table in the center of the room. Porlyusica sat next to the old man, tears still slipping down her cheeks as she refused to turn her gaze away. Trusting that Laxus had enough control not to blow up the guildhall, Lucy slipped away, brushing her own tears aside with her sleeve and finding Mira, who was being comforted by Freed.

"Will you help me with the arrangements?" she asked softly as the white haired woman turned in the rune mage's arms at her approach.

"Of course," Mira said scratchily, the first time Lucy had ever heard her shaken this deeply by emotion. "He…he had plans. After Phantom Lord. Just in case…"

"I'll take care of the burial arrangements, if you could get together whatever announcements that need to be made," Lucy murmured. "Freed, could you get a group to escort me to Cardia Cathedral?"

"No need, Miss Heartfilia," a voice said behind her, and she turned to see the painfully familiar face of the Cardinal who oversaw the Cathedral. "I have come. Tell me, how can the Church and I be of assistance during this time?"

Between Mira, the Cardinal, and herself, they were able to arrange for the service to occur the day after next, giving enough time for the appropriate parties to be notified and then to travel if needed. The Cardinal left, taking with him Porlyusica and Makarov's body, saying that they would prepare him for burial, and Makarov's body would be available to the guild and friends to say goodbye starting the next morning. As Lucy reported this to Laxus, who had been standing by the table with his grandfather's body, he nodded, and called over Gajeel, who was standing nearby.

"I want one of us near him at all times," Laxus said hoarsely, looking at the Iron Dragon slayer. "Can we do that, if we give up the patrols and keep everyone close?"

Gajeel nodded. "I'll organize the others. You can be there whenever you want; don't worry."

"Make sure one dragon slayer is with Sorano at all times." Laxus ordered. "I'll stay with Lucy, and I'll get someone else to be with her if I can't be."

"Rogue and I will switch off with guarding Sorano," Sting said quietly, approaching them. "Master Makarov was a good man, but I'm sure that Wendy, Natsu, and Gajeel, would prefer that they stand vigil over him rather than one of us."

"Thank you," Lucy murmured, reaching out to touch his shoulder. "We really appreciate it."

"I'm going to go catch up to them," Gajeel said, looking out the door. "Sting, tell Wendy to relieve me at dinner. Natsu can take the night shift from her, and I'll take tomorrow morning. Erik will always be in reserve if someone needs him."

"Sounds like a plan," Laxus said tiredly, and Lucy wished that she could take him out of there, take him back to their house so he could rest. They hadn't talked much about it, but she knew that Laxus had planned on talking with her about completing the mating, since all of the other acknowledged Slayer pairs had been marked. _How could a day that was supposed to end with such love be marred with such grief?_

Nodding, Gajeel slipped through the crowds of grieving guild members and headed out the doors. Sting murmured his condolences, and then slipped up to the infirmary. Seeing the lost expression cross Laxus's face, Lucy took him gently by the hands and led him up the stairs to the second floor. "I'm sorry," she whispered as they climbed the stairs. "But the guild needs to hear from you right now. It doesn't have to be much, or anything remotely resembling perfect. They need you."

He took a deep shuddering breath, and he turned to face the guild. Letting a crack of lightning get everyone's attention, he seemed to study the crowd for a moment. "My grandfather, Makarov Dreyar, saw each and every member of this guild as part of his family. Growing up, the guild was my family. It's not easy to lose someone like him, not for his blood family and not for those he adopted into his family. Two days from now we have to bury him. Nothing is going to make that easier. Those of you who saw what happened to the tree know that Alverez claimed responsibility. We will bury our grandfather," Laxus paused, and Lucy saw his eyes grow hard. "And then we will make Alverez pay."

 *****Well, it's been a while.**

 **My apologies for the long delay. You may remember that I moved after my graduation in May, and I found myself in the unenviable position of having no full time job prospects. So to keep me busy, I took a part time job that turned out to be a bad environment for me. Between that and what I suspect was a lot of burnout, I didn't have the inspiration for this story, which is why it's been six months that this chapter has been sitting in my dropbox waiting to be edited.**

 **I can't promise I'm back for any type of consistent schedule. I've got another one and a half chapters drafted that I haven't touched in at least four months, so it's not like I'm starting completely from scratch, but the inspiration is still sluggish. However, I will not abandon this story. I owe it to you guys, and to myself, to see it through.**

 **On another note, hope you enjoyed Acno being a creeper and sorry about the angst!**

 **Oh, and I have a tumblr now: rhosinthorn/tumblr/com. Just replace the / with . and you'll have the url. Visit me over there for random whatnot and occasional writing goodies (I might put a deleted scene/outtake from Frontlines up eventually).*****


	13. Chapter 12

**Chapter Twelve:**

The guildhall was subdued.

Usually, you were almost deafened by the cacophony when you sat up on the second floor, but as Lucy sat at the long table that had been designated for the council of war, she could barely hear the conversations happening below.

"What's the plan?" Gajeel asked as eh dropped into the seat besides Laxus. "When are we going to wreck them?"

"We don't know what they want," Freed pointed out, his voice rough and appearance unkempt. "For all we know, us marching to war is what they want." Despite a previously unknown block in Mest's memories being released, the only new information that they had was that Makarov had disbanded the guild and marched off to Alverez alone in an attempt to stop the coming war.

"Ivan wanted Lumen Histoire," Bickslow contributed slowly. "And we know Zeref's been after Cheerleader's keys. So as long as we…"

"If anyone finishes that sentence with anything implying _leave Lucy home_ ," Lucy interrupted with a smile, "I'll feed you in bits and pieces to the fishes. Starting with the parts you like most."

"Lucy," Laxus said firmly, and she slumped back into her seat, arms crossed over her chest.

"I'm not a child," she snapped irritably. "You can't keep me hidden away. I can defend myself." They had gone through variations of this same argument on an almost hourly basis since Makarov's body had been found two days before.

" _Gramps couldn't beat them_ ," Laxus roared, slamming his hands down on the table. "What makes you think that you could?"

"Master Makarov couldn't beat Hades either," she retorted, rising to her feet. "You know who could? _Team Natsu_ and _you_. Was I not a part of Team Natsu then?"

"This. Is. Zeref." Laxus growled at her, lightning sparking around his body as he seemed to struggle to rein in his emotions. "Not Hades, not anyone like you've ever faced."

" _I have faced more than you know_ ," she said lowly, locking eyes with him. "Virgo?"

The maid spirit appeared, a battered notebook in her hands. Silently, she passed it to Lucy, who took it at threw it down on the table with a heavy thump.

"Remember this?" she said coldly into the silence that had fallen around the table.

"How could I forget?" he murmured, his voice catching slightly.

"They may not have been Zeref, but I have put my life on the line time and time again for this guild. I will not let you put me on the sidelines now."

Fed up with the argument, and tired of all their discussions going nowhere, Lucy left the table, heading for the attic. Last she knew, Erza was out destroying the training dummies with Natsu in an attempt to safely channel grief, so that was out. Mira was stress-baking and even Kinana was afraid to go in the kitchen with her there. Laxus would likely retreat to his office to huddle and plot with the Raijinshu, someone was sitting with Sorano in the safe room that had once been hers…

Only the attic was likely to be empty.

She slipped up the familiar stairwell, knowing that any dragon slayer would be able to find her, but hoping they wouldn't follow. Ever since Makarov's body had been found two days ago, the pull of what Loke had described as her magic's "survival instinct" seemed to have increased. Apparently, celestial magic, like many family-inherited magics, tended to attempt to ensure its own survival by pushing its wielders toward suitable partners who would not only be able to protect them, but also help sustain the line.

Whatever it was, it was _immensely_ frustrating to suddenly find herself pulled to the unmated dragon slayers who weren't Wendy, with little regard for how much she cared for them in a romantic sense. Sure, Sting and Natsu were powerful dragon slayers, but there was no way in hell she would ever let herself be bond to them, no matter what her magic suggested.

Soft footsteps on the boards behind her made Lucy cross her arms over her chest as the pull redoubled, making the ache that was now constantly present triple in intensity. There were only two slayers that made her react that way. And Laxus, for all of his grace and speed, did not walk so softly that it was almost impossible to hear him.

"Acnologia," she said, refusing to turn from the patch of wall she was studying. She knew what would lie on his face: the same hunger that echoed her own. The same thing that she had seen in his eyes ever since their encounter in the safe room where Sorano now rested.

"Celestial Maiden," he replied easily as he drew closer. "You seem troubled."

She did her best to ignore the warm heat of the eldest dragon slayer's body as he stopped right behind her, but it was even worse than the siren song of the lure had been only days before, when she had struggled to resist. Ever since, she had tried to keep a reasonable distance from him, fearing that she might lose herself to the draw of her magic attempting to protect itself. Everything was heightened, and she wished it would all just _stop_.

"Has he even touched you since the other day?" Acnologia murmured, hands ghosting down her hips in a way that made her breath stop. "Surely he can _smell_ the need on you. If I can, so can he. And yet he resists."

Laxus _had_ been distant. She tried to console herself with thoughts of how busy he was, how concerned for the guild he needed to be, and his own personal grief over his grandfather's death, but she couldn't overcome the memory of him coming late to bed. Lying down with his back to her and not even a goodnight kiss had become their custom.

"He makes you suffer like this," the dragon whispered, his lips next to her ear as his hot breath caressed the bare flesh, causing her to shudder. "How much can he care for you, to leave you wanting and needy among those who could easily satisfy your desires if you turned to them?"

Lucy didn't want to admit it, but she had almost fallen prey to the draw of the bond towards the unmated slayers, especially Acnologia himself, during the initial hours of the lure seeming to at least double in strength. Laxus's avoidance of any type of romantic situation was only making it worse.

"You are not bound to him," Acnologia continued, gently uncrossing her arms from where they rested over her chest. "It is well within your rights to choose another, especially as your intended spurns you so."

His voice dropped even more, if that was possible, falling into a husky whisper where there was no mistaking the lust dripping from every word. " _I_ would give you what you so desperately desire. You think you are burning now? I can make you burn with pleasure, so much so that you will be afraid you might lose your mind." Warm hands, his touch almost scorching even through her clothes, pressed her back gently, folding her into the hard planes of his body. Lips traced down her neck, teeth gently scraping as they passed her pulse point. "Celestial Maiden," Acnologia continued, his voice little more than a growl that threatened to make her knees weak. "Just say the words."

All the while, his hands skimmed over her sides, gravitating toward her hips as he pressed her to him, her back to his front, and there was no ambiguity over how invested he was in the situation, not with so little space between them. "You could rule the world," he rasped against the skin of her neck as she tilted instinctively, baring it for him so that he could have better access. "Together we could turn the fools upside down and have them on their knees begging for us."

It was getting harder and harder to think straight. His dry lips travelled up to her jaw in a scorching path, slowly kissing its length in a way that threatened to make her knees week as one of his hands caressed its way up her side to tilt her face over toward him, bringing their lips together in a kiss that Lucy could only lean into desperately. Acnologia kissed as if the world was burning down around them, equal parts lust and urgency, with an undercurrent of tightly controlled power waiting to be unleashed.

As he broke the contact, she managed to get a grip on her mind, muddled by lust and inhibited by the effects of the pull. "No," she managed, trying to pull away. "Not you. Not because it's what my magic wants. I _love_ Laxus. He's the one I want."

"And when he leaves you wanting again?" Acnologia challenged roughly as he tightened his arms around her, as if almost desperately trying not to let her move further away. "What then, Celestial Maiden?"

It was tempting, what he offered. Her magic certainly agreed with him as to his suitability as a mate, and there was no denying that he had all the qualities of the heroes in the trashy romance novels that were her guilty pleasures.

But life wasn't trashy romance novels, neatly wrapped up in crisp pages. Life was loving so deeply that you would bleed out to protect your friends, that you would set yourself against the person you love if it might protect them. Real life was hard and messy and ugly, not the pretty words Acnologia promised.

He hadn't seen her in her darkest moments and stood by her side supporting her until she could support herself.

Laxus had.

"Go away," she said firmly, leaving the circle of his arms. "I have a mate to claim." _And to apologize to. I shouldn't have doubted him. We need to talk, the way we haven't in so long._

 _Before someone ends up on the guild floor bleeding out again._

* * *

Her anger at the situation, coupled with her mounting frustration resulting from the denial of the bond yet again, gave her speed as she stalked down the hall to Laxus's office. It was most likely where he had retreated to after she had confronted him with the reminder of her service to the mayor. Pulling out the novel that she had written as a method of release, but also as a record of her entire life that year and a half, had been a low blow, one that she now regretted. Only the two of them knew what was contained within, and Lucy hadn't touched the notebook since Laxus had returned it to her.

Not bothering to knock, she flung the door open and stormed in. Laxus was standing by the window behind his desk, while the Raijinshu, Gajeel, Sting, and Erik were scattered around the room, sitting or leaning on various pieces of furniture.

"Everybody," Lucy snapped. "Out."

Laxus turned, opened his mouth as if to protest, but she glared at him until he closed it. Meanwhile, Erik had started chivvying everyone out, squeezing her shoulder in a comforting manner as he ushered them out, talking over their protests. She would have to thank him, although she had a sneaking suspicion that he was doing it more for his benefit than hers, considering his soul listening abilities.

When the door closed behind them, Lucy marched over to Laxus's desk, slamming her hands down on it so hard the contents jumped. "Do you love me?" she demanded.

"What-?" Laxus began, but Lucy cut him off with a snarl.

"Yes or no question. Do. You. Love. Me?"

"Yes," Laxus said immediately. "Of course I love you."

"Do you want me as your mate?"

"Of course," Laxus growled, eyes flashing.

"Good." Lucy said, before turning and throwing the door open. Freed and the others were lurking down the hall by the top of the stairs. "Freed, can you and the Raijinshu hold the fort here?"

"Just get out of here, Bunny girl," Gajeel grunted. "You and Sparky need some time to yourselves."

Flashing him a quick grin, and noting that Erik looked somewhat nauseated, she closed the door and marched back over to Laxus. "Take us home."

Something flashed in his eyes, but he obligingly wrapped his arms around her and lightning transported them to the house.

* * *

When they landed, his hands moved from wrapped around her to her shoulder, his grip almost painful as he growled: "Why do you smell like _him_?"

"Because he keeps attempting to seduce me," Lucy said flatly. "I don't know if you've noticed, though I can't really understand if you haven't, but I've got the same draw to complete the bond as you do. My magic is pushing me to pick a mate, and right now it's not all that picky."

"So you let him touch you?" Laxus's hands were skimming over her body almost as if on autopilot. "Without any struggle?"

"I walked away," Lucy spat back, her hackles up. "And you didn't seem to give a damn. This is the third time he's made a pass at me, the second time he's been close enough to leave substantial scent on me. _He's_ warned you about his interest in me. _I've_ warned you about his interest in me, and all you seem to have done is _backed off_."

"Well," Laxus growled, hands at the hem of her shirt, fingers curling in so tightly she knew it would be stretched beyond return, "consider this me stepping up."

"Fucking _finally_ ," Lucy muttered, reaching up to yank his head down for a kiss.

* * *

There wasn't much time for talking, at least not in the beginning. Both of them had been holding back too much, and the pull of their magic, finally released, had been both intoxicating and overwhelming.

When they finally surfaced for air, Lucy lay sated in Laxus's arms, curled against his chest as she traced the lines of his tattoo with her fingertips. His own hand was caressing one of the scars over her hips, a reminder of one of her worse missions.

"You look thoughtful," he murmured, brushing his lips over the crown of her head. "What's on your mind?"

"When did we stop talking?" she asked, the motion of her fingers stilling. "When did we stop honestly talking about what we were worried about with each other?"

Laxus looked guilty. "When I found out that the mayor was only the tip of the proverbial iceberg."

"And you didn't want to tell me because you thought it would set me back," Lucy surmised, knowing she had hit the mark when he winced. "I suppose I can't fault you for that. I've been fairly quiet about things lately so that I wouldn't worry you."

"I'm all ears now," he said, shifting back so he could look at her face. "Tell me."

"Acnologia almost tempted me," Lucy admitted, closing her eyes and blowing out a deep breath. "Today, when he found me in the attic. It had been too long since…and the draw of the bond…I'm sorry."

"He won't bother you any further," Laxus said firmly, moving his hand from her hip to brush against the small lightning shaped mark on her neck where he had bitten her. "Not with my mark on you. And you were not the only one being tempted."

"Really?"

Grinning sheepishly, Laxus ran his hand through her hair. "Fairy Tail produces a lot of strong women. Why do you think I was spending so much time cooped up in my office?"

"And I'm one of those women?" Lucy asked pointedly, knowing that where she wanted to take the conversation would kill the mood, but it needed to be talked about.

"Lucy," he started with a sigh, but before he could continue, she cut him off.

"Why won't you let me fight?" she whispered. "I love this guild as much as everyone else, and I'm going to be completely honest with you now. With or without your permission, I'm going to be wherever the battle is."

"Is it too much to ask that you keep yourself safe? Go into hiding somewhere with Sorano and come out when it's all over? I thought I had lost you once, and that was before you were my mate." His voice was muffled as he pulled her close. "I can't lose you now."

"Do you think it's any different for me?" Lucy whispered, knowing that his enhanced ears could pick up the sound. "Do you think I want to lose you?"

Laxus's arms tightened around her, pressing her ear to his chest where she could hear the rumble of his voice as he replied: "I don't know what to do."

"We'll figure it out," Lucy promised, putting all of her faith in the words. "Somehow, we'll figure it out."

* * *

Despite having three different strategy sessions before Makarov's funeral, they were no closer to finding a plan that would satisfy everyone.

But all thoughts of war were set momentarily aside as they said their last farewells to the man who had given all of them a home at some point.

Standing at Laxus's side, demure in her black mourning dress (it had seen too much use of late), Lucy had a front row seat for their unexpected visitor.

The guildhall was packed to the rafters with guests come to pay their last wishes to Makarov. Quatro Cerberus, with Goldmine at their head, Blue Pegasus, with Ichiya trailing behind (sopping wet from where Erza had booted him into the lake), Mermaid Heel, Kagura leading and staying well away from Jellal (who had resurrected his Mystogun disguise), and hundreds of others who had gathered to say farewell.

Including eight of the nine remaining Wizard Saints, who made up the current iteration of the Magic Council, and huddled in a corner together for most of the afternoon. Lucy recognized Warrod Sequen, who nodded gravely at her when he caught her eye, but he made no attempt to come speak with either her or Laxus.

They had returned to the guild in the early morning, prepared to work like maniacs to get the guild into shape for the funeral and wake, only to find that Mira and the Raijinshu had chivvied the entire male populations of Fairy Tail and Sabertooth into cleaning the public spaces from top to bottom. There was almost nothing left to do, leaving Mira and the other women plenty of time to corner Lucy and ask for details of her night with Laxus, especially after their mating mark was noticed.

It had taken her several minutes to escape that particular interrogation, but she eventually was able to escape when Erik took pity on her and invented a reason for her to get away. She needed to do something nice for the man, since he had been bailing her out of uncomfortable situations more often than not recently.

When the door opened, she watched for the newcomer out of the corner of her eye. Most of them would eventually make their way up to her and Laxus, but occasionally she had to greet them herself and bring them to her mate.

 _Her mate_. Those two, simple words held so much meaning for her. Laxus seemed to sense her train of thought, because the hand resting on her waist tightened for just a moment, the closest they could get to a hug in front of the visitors that had crammed their way into the guild hall.

The distraction took her attention away from the door, causing her to miss the visitor until the screaming started.

As Lucy turned, heart in her throat, even as her hands reached for the keys tucked into the discreet pocket of her dress, she saw Asuka standing frozen in a suddenly open area by the door, Warren holding Bisca as Alzack requipped a rifle. There was a large, humanoid metal figure in the doorway, arm pointed at the little girl.

Given the way things had been going, Lucy was certain that she didn't want to find out what it did.

"What is the meaning of this?" Laxus said coldly into the silence that fell as he stepped forward, brushing aside the latest person who had come to offer their personal condolences. "This is a funeral."

"Emperor Spriggan sends his regards," the figure said, but before he could move, Laxus was moving, snatching up Asuka and sending her flying into the arms of her parents as lighting crackled dangerously around him. The rest of the dragon slayers were slipping out of the crowd, as well as the main fighting force of Fairy Tail. Erza was requipped into her armor, Jellal-as-Mystogun by her side. Lucy strode forward, only to find the Raijinshu flanking her, Evergreen with her fingers on her glasses, Bixlow toying with his visor, and Freed looking seconds away from transforming fully.

"You can tell _Zeref_ ," Laxus growled, causing a chorus of gasps to rise up from the visitors, "that _normal_ people send letters when they declare war. He went as a diplomat, trying to prevent war, and you killed him. For that, Fairy Tail will make sure that you never even _dream_ about setting foot in Fiore again."

The robot made a mechanical _tsking_ sound that sent shivers up and down Lucy's spine. "Such defiance! All we need are the keys and Fairy Heart, and none of this would have have to happen."

"Over my dead body," Lucy snapped, and she saw Laxus flinch.

"That way is preferred," the robot agreed, and then it began to glow.

Before they could think to duck for cover, a long metal pole skewered the robot through

its chest.

"When will you learn to stop baiting your enemies, Bunny Girl?" Gajeel growled, following his arm as he moved closer to the fallen robot. "They tend to take you up on it."

"At least we learned something," Lucy snapped, pushing Freed's arm roughly aside as he tried to keep her from approaching the downed robot. "They want me dead."

"Why?" Laxus snapped, lighting still snapping around him. "Why do they want her dead?"

"Inheritance laws," the robot said with a creaking imitation of laughter. "There's a pretty little subclause that suits His Majesty's purpose nicely."

"What's Zeref planning?" Lucy's question cut across all of the others. "What does he want, besides my keys and my dead body?"

"He doesn't want your _body_ ," the robot answered. "He just wants you dead."

"Besides the point," Lucy snapped. " _Why did he send you here?_ "

"Declarations of war are always better when followed up with in person. His Majesty thought it only good manners to send an envoy."

"What," Acnologia's voice rumbled from above them. He had made himself scarce for most of the day, but as Lucy looked up, she saw him lounging casually against the railing. "They did not merit a personal visit?"

More whispers started as everyone stared at the dragon of the apocalypse leaning against the railing, but Lucy marched up to the robot and crouched next to its head.

"He's able to know everything that happens here, right?" At the robot's nod, she continued. "Then tell Zeref that if he wants my keys, he's going to have to meet me on Tenrou Island. Leave the mainland out of this."

"That's a bold declaration, Lucy Heartfilia," the robot wheezed. "But are you prepared to back it up?"

Smirking at the downed robot, Lucy straightened, before calling a bit of Loke's power into her foot the way the lion spirit had taught her. Without hesitating, she drove the spike of her heeled shoe through the robot's helmet, only dropping eye contact when the artificial creation's eyes went dark.

Someone whistled, and Lucy looked up to see Gajeel snickering warily. "Damn Bunny, way to remind Sparky not to piss you off."

Deliberately, she ground her foot in a little deeper, smirking as Gajeel paled slightly. "I'm sorry Gajeel, what did you say?"

"Remind me where to get a pair of shoes like that?"

"Levy knows my favorite shoe store," Lucy turned to face her mate, and was surprised by the amount of heat in his eyes, even though the worry was clear on his face. "But your shoe shopping can wait until we finish that council of war that we keep interrupting."

"Is this a private party, or can we cut in?" a voice asked, and Lucy turned to see Goldmine, Bob, and several of the other guild masters standing in a clump, their faces grim. "You're not the only guild with an axe to grind."

Laxus shrugged, the lightning finally fading from the air around him. "Fine by me. The more the merrier. There's probably enough of the Alverez Empire to go around."

"You can't declare war on another country without the Council's approval!" a voice snapped, and Lucy rolled her eyes before she turned to look at the Wizard Saints in attendance. "We won't allow it!"

"They declared war," Laxus growled. "We're just taking up arms in response."

"We could have you disbanded. It's hard to fight a war when you're in prison."

"Have you ever tried to keep Fairy Tail in jail, _sir_?" Lucy asked sweetly, moving to stand next to Laxus so that she could rest her hand on his arm in an attempt to calm him. "We don't particularly like cages."

"Was that a threat, Miss Heartfilia?" The question came from the man at the head of the group, who bore a suspicious resemblance to a vampire from a novel she had once read.

"No sir." Lucy's smile turned downright dangerous. "That's a _promise_. Why don't you ask Captain Doranbolt how Fairy Tail has reacted in the past when you try to take someone we care about to jail? Or look through your records and find the ones after the Lullaby incident where you took Erza Scarlet for a trial."

Mest blanched, decidedly _not_ looking at Jellal. That seemed to be answer enough for the councilmen, and Lucy watched them bristle with rage.

"Shall we adjourn to the second floor?" Laxus said, turning his back on the Wizard Saints and focusing on the guild leaders. "And can somebody find Sting?"

"If any of you take a single step towards those stairs," the lead councilman said, voice menacing. "Your guild is automatically disbanded and forbidden to petition for status for five years. Any attempt to form before then and you'll be considered a dark guild."

"Just try it," Laxus growled, the lightning back in the air around him. "Every dark guild in this country has faced off against us, and the most they pushed us to was separating for a year. And you know what? _Lucy Heartfilia_ kept this guild open _on her own_ against overwhelming odds, and I don't think she's going to give up just because a bunch of stupid old men decide that we're out of line. This time, she won't be alone either."

 *****So sorry that this took so long to write. It's been fighting with me. Special thanks to GemNika for helping me with the bit of Acnologia and Lucy there- now that I've considered the pairing, it won't let me go! Happy holidays to everyone.*****


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